Hyderabad: According to the World Health Organisation, around 2.2 billion people are currently suffering from visual impairment worldwide. Weak eyesight can depend on numerous reasons including health, heredity, poor lifestyle, and carelessness about health and the environment. But doctors believe that with proper care and timely diagnosis and treatment, a large number of common eye-related problems such as lack of vision or dryness and any kind of allergy in the eyes, diseases related to the retina, and even cataract and glaucoma can be cured.
Check-ups can also provide relief for serious diseases while reducing the possibility of blindness. Therefore, from 1-7 April, the Government of India observes the "Prevention of Blindness Week" every year to spread awareness among the general public regarding proper eyecare. In the last few years, there has been a continuous increase in cases of weak eyesight or vision defects in people of all ages.
At the same time, the rate of cases of blindness in people due to health reasons, especially due to diseases like cataracts or glaucoma, despite the availability of all types of treatment is not decreasing. The main reason for this is ignoring the early symptoms of the problem, not getting treated at the right time, and carelessness regarding eyecare and other important things.
According to doctors, if there is no congenital cause, then with the right treatment and care at the right time, not just the risk of blindness can be reduced, but also the problem of vision defects or loss of vision can be avoided. Every year from 1st to 7th April, 'Prevention of Blindness Week' is organized by the Government of India to make the general public aware of the important things to include in their lives, such as regular eye check-ups and other important things to maintain the health of the eyes.
Prevention of Blindness Week is an effort under which efforts are made to make more people aware of the early signs of eye-related problems, people are encouraged to have regular eye check-ups, proper eye care, and recognise symptoms of any type of problem. They are encouraged not to be negligent about the symptoms and to take the right treatment at the right time. At the same time, efforts are also made regarding the issues related to the upliftment and rehabilitation of blind people.
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During this weekly event, camps are organized by government and non-government organizations for the whole week in many government centres and private hospitals regarding eye care and check-up. Also, on this occasion, an appeal is made to common people to adopt the necessary methods to maintain eye health and eyesight through various programs and to get regular eye check-ups done at every age. Apart from this, special discussions and programs are held on this occasion for the upliftment, rehabilitation, and related issues of people who are congenitally blind, who have lost their sight in an accident, or who have become blind due to some health-related problem.
According to the data of the IAPB (International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness Vision-Atlas), about 43 million people worldwide are suffering from blindness, and 295 million people suffer from moderate or severe vision impairment. In India, about 20 lakh cases related to vision defects are detected every year. And it is a matter of relief that about 73 per cent of those cases are such that are completely curable, provided their treatment and care related to the problem starts on time.
According to doctors, cataract and glaucoma and their ignorance are responsible for the maximum of blindness in the world. Poor lifestyle, especially poor diet, can also be considered responsible for vision problems and many other eye-related problems. In the last few years, the amount of unhealthy food like junk food, processed food, chips, and many other types of foods has increased in the diet of people, especially children, which do not benefit the body but harm it. This type of diet also does not provide the necessary nutrients for the body, especially to keep the eyes healthy, which increases the risk of weakening the eyes.
In the last few years, TV, mobile, and laptop have also affected the eye health of people to a great extent. In today's era, from small children to elders, spend more time in front of smart screen devices for entertainment, studies, and work. Due to the UV rays emanating from it dryness of the eyes and blurring of the vision occurs. To keep our eyes healthy, it is very important to keep in mind and adopt precautions along with consuming nutritious food. Some of these precautions are as follows;
- Get regular eye check-ups done at every age, so any problem can be detected and treated early.
- Avoid watching TV continuously for a long time or working on mobile and computer, but keep taking small intervals in between.
- If a person has problems like diabetes or high blood pressure, regular eye check-up is very important for them.
- Do eye exercises regularly.
- Do not ignore itching, dryness, or temporary blurring of the eyes, and contact the doctor.
- Wear good quality sunglasses on your eyes while working in sunny and dusty environments.
- Wash your eyes twice a day with clean water.
- Get proper sleep and try to give rest to the eyes at short intervals even in between work.
