Good sight occurs when the eyes and the brain work in harmony transforming the light rays into sight. Light rays pass through the transparent cornea, the clear front part of the eye. The cornea focuses light rays through the pupil and the lens, which focuses the light further. The lens is made of a clear, flexible gel surrounded by the transparent lens capsule. The light rays focus onto the retina, the thin sheath of nerve cells at the back wall of the eye. Once the retina has received the light images, it transforms into them electrical impulses, The optic nerve carries these impulses to the visual cortex of the brain, where they are interpreted into sight.

When any part of the visual system is not working properly, the sight processes are altered. If the cornea curvature is too much the light ray will focus in front of the retina causing the image to be blurry. This is called myopia or nearsightedness. The opposite is true, if the cornea curvature is less than normal the light rays will focus further back from the retina. It is called hyperopia or farsightedness. The lens helps to focus the light rays onto the retina further when the object is at close range. When a person reaches over 40 years old, the lens loses its flexibility and the person can not see at close range without wearing reading glasses. 		 

 
 

 


 

 


The complexity of the developing visual system in infants and children makes their eyes uniquely different from adults’ eyes. Any hindrance to eye stimulation can quickly cause a condition called "lazy eye" or Amblyopia , which can result in permanent deterioration of a child’s vision. To help maintain the health of your child’s eye please consider the following tips:


1. All children should have an eye examination by an ophthalmologist before starting first grade

 2. Any abnormal looking eye should be examined by and ophthalmologist as soon as possible (even newborns are not too young to be examined). Abnormalities include:
    - Discharge from the eye
    - Sensitivity to light accompanied by wanting to close
      the eyes most of the time
    - A cornea which appears abnormally large
    - Cross eyes
    - Port wine stain (purple coloured birthmark on the
      forehead)
    - White reflex in the pupil
    - Any behaviour which indicates that the child does not
      see well

 3. Any new born who receives oxygen for more than 6 hours should be examined by an ophthalmologist in the hospital or within 6 weeks to 2 months of age.

 4. Children who are slow learners between the ages of 7-12 years should be brought for a consultation with and ophthalmologist. 		 

 
 

 


 
 
Preventive health care for your eyes is important since half of all blindness and ninety percent of eye injuries can be prevented. The following tips can help you maintain good eyesight and enjoy the visual world for years to come.


1. Avoid eye injury by wearing protective eye gear while playing sports such as squash or tennis. Always wear protective eye gear when hammering or drilling or doing any other work which has a risk of eye injury.

 2. The eyes need rest, just like other parts of your body. Prolonged reading or staring at computer screens can cause eyestrain. Try to blink regularly and rest the eyes by closing them or staring far away for a few minutes for every 30-40 minutes of work.

3. Excessive exposure to wind or air flow from air conditioners can cause irritation (burning sensation) and tearing, similar to the symptoms of dry eyes. Try to avoid air flow which causes eye irritation.

 4. Always have your reading material at an appropriate distance (about a foot away) from your eyes and make sure there is adequate lighting.

 5. Periodic medical eye examinations are important. People over 45 years old should have a yearly routine eye examination. Diabetic patients need an eye examination each year. People with a family history of glaucoma should have an eye examination each year after the age of 40 years.

6. The following eye symptoms need the attention of an ophthalmologist:

    - Blurred or distorted vision
    - Sudden loss of vision
    - Seeing floating spots or flashing lights
    - Double vision
    - Red eye with or without discharge


 		 

 
 

 

 

 


1. Sudden loss on dimness of vision in either eye.
2. Severe pain in or around the eye
3. Excessive tearing or discharge from the eye
4. Floating spots with or without flashes of light
5. Seeing distorted images
6. Double vision
7. Swelling of the eyelids or protrusion of the eye
8. Any accident to the eye

 

 
 

 


 
 

Myth: Wearing glasses makes your eyesight worse

There is no statistical evidence to indicate that this is true. People who need to wear glasses will depend on them more because of the improvement in vision with glasses.
Myth: Watching television at close range will cause a person to become nearsighted.

It is likely that people who watch TV at very close range are already nearsighted, since people with normal eyesight have no need to be so close to the TV. There are only a few know causes of near-sightedness, but watching TV too closely is not one of them.
Myth: Regular eye washing using an eye cup is good for your eyes.

The only time an eye wash is needed is too remove a foreign substance from the eye before going to see the doctor, Regular use of an eye wash may harm your eye because it washes away the tears which have lubricating and antiseptic properites; also there is the risk that the eye wash solution may be contaminated
Myth: If you become blind the doctor can simply replace the eye.

This is impossible at the moment. At present the only part of the eye which can be replaced is the Cornea, the clear front window of the eye.
Myth: "Ta Eiang" (astigmatism) is when a person has to turn his head to see.

If a person has to turn his head to see because he is unable to move his eyes, then he probably has abnormal eye muscle function. "Ta Eiang" (astigmatism) is a condition in which the curvature of the cornea is not perfectly round: instead of being round like a basketball the cornea is shaped like a rugby ball. People with "Ta Eiang" will have blurred vision both far and near.
Myth: People who have a cataract removed and intraocular lens inserted can not bend or lift heavy objects because the lens might fall off.

An intraocular lens properly inserted is as strong as a natural lens and it will not fall off.
Myth: If you see a person with pink eye or red eye, you have to stick out your tongue otherwise you will catch the red eye.

Red eye is a viral infection of the conjunctiva (white part of the eye). The patient’s tears contain the virus and the tears can contaminate another eye. Nobody will catch red eye by simply looking at a red eye patient.

 		 

 
 

 

 



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