Senior Producer/Reporter
soyini.grey@guardian.co.tt
The public is being urged to engage in regular eye screenings as an essential tool to ensure the health of their eyes. The National Eye Survey of Trinidad and Tobago (2013-2014) found that uncorrected refractive eye conditions are the leading cause of moderate to severe vision impairment in adults. Refractive errors are caused by the improper focusing of light onto the retina. It often manifests as blurred vision, and can be corrected with eyeglasses, lenses or surgery.
Dr Anala Maharaj is an ophthalmologist who owns Southern Cataract Surgery, which operates out of Southern Medical Centre. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor specialised in eye care and surgery. She recommends regular screenings as an important tool in the maintenance of good eye health, as they can lead to early diagnosis, which offers the best option if maintaining your vision is the goal.
“When we see somebody in their 30s... we’re not trying to preserve your vision for five years, or until you’re 40. We’re thinking down the road to preserving your vision so that you can see when you are 80 or 85,” she said.
Maharaj recommends that all children be screened before they are five, or before starting school. Whichever is earlier. This aligns with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations for paediatric eye care. The WHO Vision and Eye Screening Implementation handbook warns, “early-onset myopia poses a higher risk of rapid progression in the severity of refractive error, which also increases the risk of myopia-related complications such as retinal detachment in young children as they grow.”
Refractive errors can typically be identified with a basic eye test.
While screen time has not yet been identified as a major concern for adults, early studies seem to show that it is resulting in an increase in myopia, or short-sightedness, in children. More research is needed, but initial interpretations of the findings suggest the close distance between the devices (like mobile phones and tablets) and the eye may be the cause.
“We actually have an epidemic of short-sightedness; a lot of kids worldwide are only able to see very near, they are not able to see far well,” Maharaj said. These children will most likely need glasses, especially if left undiagnosed and untreated, as the condition can progress.
She recommends children be encouraged to play outside daily, especially when the sun is out, for at least one hour, since that helps their eyes develop.
For adults, the aforementioned National Eye Survey found that most adults over 40 years old suffered from poor vision. Most of them were far-sighted, and at least 20 per cent were short-sighted.
Maharaj said she also sees a lot of diabetic eye disease, cataracts and glaucoma in her office. But again, she emphasises the importance of regular screenings to catch problems early. Even if your vision seems good, yearly or biennial screenings are key. Adults should start getting regular eye tests in their 30s, especially if they haven’t developed the habit before.
These screens can be done by an optometrist who is trained in testing vision, assessing the health of the eye and is trained to provide corrective lenses. They can also screen for common health concerns, for which they can refer patients to an ophthalmologist who can diagnose and, if need be, develop a treatment plan for the patient.
