Of the main five senses that humans are expected to be born with, sight is perhaps the most important one. Taste and smell have their places, but can be lived without quite comfortably. Touch is essential, for sure, but workarounds can be found. Hearing, for sure, is one that none of us would want to be without, but in terms of immediate impact, none of these can be realistically compared to how it feels, or would feel, to lose our ability to see.
Retaining our eyesight is not a given; for some of us, the process of age-related macular degeneration means that we will always have to fight to retain what is left of our vision. However, some of the other threats to our ability to see are far from inevitable. In order to ensure that you experience the undoubted advantages of continuing and good-quality eyesight, it is important to look out for signs that it may be under threat. Reading the following might help you identify a health condition that puts your vision at risk.
Diabetes
Although people are aware of the seriousness of diabetes, and recognize many of the negative impacts it can have, many people don’t realize how it can threaten our ability to see. Not only that, but a lot of people aren’t aware that problems with one’s eyesight can be one of the first signs that a person has diabetes. If you have previously had perfectly good eyesight, or at least have been able to use vision aids to correct any issue, then experiencing blurry vision all of a sudden could be a sign that you have an issue.
Diabetes can be detected by fairly simple blood tests; you can even be detected as “pre-diabetic”, which is a sign that you could end up with the condition without changes in diet. If you are experiencing blurry vision, then it is worth making an appointment with your doctor to get to the bottom of it; once the process begins, it becomes all the more important to get treatment which can hopefully arrest and even reverse it.
Autoimmune Disorders
There is a wide range of conditions in which the body’s immune system - designed to be our defense against illness - can actually begin to work against us. Some of these conditions are more serious than others, but they can be hard to tell apart, and so when there is a sign that one of them may be present it is essential to seek answers. Like diabetes, they can affect our eyes before we are even aware we have them. Blurriness, clouded vision, pain in the eyes and excessive light sensitivity can be early symptoms.
If you experience the above symptoms, and particularly if they are sudden in onset and accompanied by joint pain or generalized fatigue, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor and give the physician as much information as you can. A condition as manageable as psoriasis, or one as potentially grave as Multiple Sclerosis, can be responsible. If detected early, an autoimmune condition might only leave you needing women’s glasses. If delayed, the overall toll can be much worse.
Neurological Conditions
Our eyes, and specifically our eyesight, are the product of complex processes that involve countless nerve endings and so many moving parts. This whole network is, honestly, one of the most impressive things about the human body. Because the system is so intricate, it is also fragile and must be protected - and part of that protection is paying attention to loss of clarity, loss of color or any other negative effects to our eyesight.
The eyes themselves can be subject to neurological conditions such as glaucoma or something more acute like ischemic optic neuropathy. Loss of visual acuity can also be a sign of something more serious still, including cerebral concerns such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases. While there is no cure for chronic neurological conditions, their worst impacts can be delayed by prompt treatment, so it is essential to raise the issue with a medical professional.
When something is up with your eyes, it is concerning enough to know that your sight may be compromised. However, it is all the more important that you look into what is amiss, because your eyes may be more than just the windows of the soul - they can be the first clue that something is going wrong that needs immediate attention. Don’t take any chances with them; get to a doctor the moment you notice a problem.
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