The eyes are not only the windows to your soul, they’re an accurate barometer of your general health and wellbeing. Here are the most common vision concerns, by stage of life.
Infancy Your paediatrician will examine your baby’s eyes at one of her first visits, testing alignment, ability to fixate, coordination of eye muscles, response to light and eyelid health and function. Potential problems include crossed eyes, drooping eyelid (amblyopia or Lazy Eye), childhood cataracts, Pink Eye (conjunctivitis), vibrating eyes (nystagmus) and watery eyes.
Childhood Nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism are the most common eye conditions found in children. They can be easily treated with corrective lenses. Your optometrist will also screen for the above-listed problems.
Adolescence Most common at this age is the development and progression of nearsightedness, or myopia. If teens have worn eyeglasses for a while, they may want to consider contact lenses. Those who play sports are at high risk for serious eye injury and must wear adequate eye protection...
20s and 30s If you are getting enough rest, eating an antioxidant-rich diet, practising good hygiene (including frequent hand-washing to minimize germs and bacteria), your good habits will aid your eye health. If you require vision correction, you may consider surgery.
40s and 50s If you have a harder time focusing on objects that are close or need more light to see, you may be developing presbyopia, a natural condition that happens to almost everyone. You may, however, also experience loss of peripheral vision, cloudy vision, blurred images or dull colours, floaters or flashes of light.
60+ Glaucoma, macular degeneration and low vision are more common as we age. Your best defence is proactive eye care. Regular eye care can help detect and even slow a developing disease. See an ophthalmologist or optometrist at least once every two years. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, visit more often.
Optician Patrycja Hajnos and Eunika Hajnos run Unique Vision Centre in Stoney Creek, Ontario. The centre provides eye exams, eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and children’s eyewear. They also offer task specific eyewear, i.e. for hunting, cycling, safety glasses. If you can’t go to them, they will come to you. Their home service provides a licensed optician to assist you in frame and lens selection, as well as proper fitting of your new eyewear. For more information, please visit www.uvcentre.ca or call 905-662-4000.
By: Unique Vision Centre
