Why Your Vision Health Is Important

I have been wearing glasses since I was eight years old. I remember vividly my first optometrist appointment, finding out that I could not see any of the letters on the wall. I went home that day with a pair of glasses and a new view of the world.

We were driving with my family and I noticed there were trees on the mountains. Before my glasses, I just thought the mountains were green, I didn’t realize that was because trees covered them. 
Vision health is very important to me as it allows me to keep seeing the world clearly. I wore contacts for two decades and recently discovered that I had a blood vessel poking through into my cornea so I’m now restricted to wearing contact lenses only as necessary

I think the average person doesn’t realize that your vision health can affect so much more than just your eyes. It can also cause problems internally. And you may be surprised to know that, sometimes, other diseases can cause blurry vision such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high blood sugar.

In the last decade, digital eye strain has affected the millennial generation due to the excess of smartphone usage. According to a recent study from the Vision Council, approximately 68 per cent of millennials claim that they suffer from digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome. Digital eye strain is defined as the physical discomfort felt after two or more hours within close or mid-range distance of a digital device such as a desktop or laptop computer, tablet, e-reader or cell phone.

I’ve asked Dr. Briar Sexton, a Canadian ophthalmologist and member of The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS), a few questions pertaining to vision health and trends. read our interesting conversation below:

1. What trends do you see in the last decade that are new and affecting younger generations? Is it from too much screen time on phones and laptops?

We certainly haven’t seen any definite links to screen time or computer use. We will see increases in dryness of the eye, because when you use a computer screen, you blink less often than when you’re going for a run or talking to someone in person. We are also starting to hear more complaints about eye fatigue.

2. What is the difference between an ophthalmologist, an optometrist and an optician?

Opticians will manufacture and dispense eyeglasses, once they receive a prescription. Optometrists have an important role, whereby they provide eye glass prescriptions, screen for disease and give general eye exams to people. Most optometrists offer medical treatment for common eye problems (such as dry eyes, common eye infections and even glaucoma). Optometrists are not medical doctors.

An Ophthalmologist does surgery, vision care and treats diseases that affect the eyes or other parts of the body. Ophthalmologists are the only medical doctors who can treat and perform corrective surgery on the top eye diseases affecting Canadians – macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma. And, many ophthalmologists are involved in scientific research on the causes and cures for eye diseases and vision disorders.

3. Should I visit an Optometrist or an Ophthalmologist?

Everyone should get their eyes checked as recommended by COS, even if you feel healthy you could potentially have an underlying eye disease. For example, people don’t know that they have glaucoma until it’s very late in the disease. Generally, people are hesitant to see an optometrist because it’s not covered by provincial health insurance plans, but if they have a family history of eye disease, they can get a referral from their doctor to see an ophthalmologist.

4. How can I prevent certain eye diseases from occurring?

Two common eye conditions in Canada are cataracts (treatable) and macular degeneration (irreversible blindness). Smoking and ultraviolet light exposure are big risk factors to both diseases. Everyone spending time outdoors should be wearing sunglasses and hats to keep the exposure off their face and out of their eyes.

5. What are some other questions I should ask before my eye exam?

When you are going to an eye exam, it’s helpful to come prepared with knowledge of your family history with eye diseases since some can be hereditary.

6. What is a good amount of screen time?

Guidelines are currently being developed, but babies should have zero screen time and children under 13 should have a limit to an hour or less a day.

This post is sponsored by The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) but all personal stories and opinions are of my own.