There’s a saying that goes “ignorance is bliss”.  In my years of experience I’ve come to see that the majority of patient self referrals are based on persistent eyestrain nothing less than six to eight months and failing to meet the minimum requirements of the road traffic act.  Otherwise in general patients who are concerned about their visual health are those with existing ocular anomalies or those who have suddenly experienced a change in cosmetic appearance, a red eye to be more specific.

The eyes are considered to a lesser extent when it comes to one’s general health. Instead the heart, the lungs, the brain, the sinuses, the skin and the reproductive systems are given more awareness and personal concern as compared to all other bodily systems.

As a health practitioner our basic levels of study emphasise the importance of the human physiology. All systems function together to maximise our well being. For instance, a person with Hypertension, Diabetes,  Tuberculosis, Anaemia,  HIV/AIDS, other systemic diseases or even those as simple  as your colds and flu and acne, may tend to ignore the extent to which their eyes are involved. The pancreas may be directly affected by Diabetes, the eyes though are indirectly affected and the changes are termed Diabetic retinopathy.

Hypertension might lead to you having a stroke/ heart attacks, directly affecting the heart, the eyes are indirectly affected and the changes there are termed Hypertensive retinopathy.  Acne, depending on the symptomatic stages might directly affect your skin and appearance, the eyes are indirectly affected by excessive facial acne and this is termed Ocular rosacea.  Even your simple cold or flu is bound to cause changes in the eyes, this in the form of Viral conjunctivitis also known as Pink eye.

As small as they are our eyes are equally important for our overall health.

Here are a few brain activators

Question 1

An eye which has never been stimulated by light may be regarded as;

a)      A blind eye

b)      A diseased eye

Question 2

Into which category can the eyes of a person born blind be classified into?

a)      Colour blindness

b)      Non sensory and motor development

c)      Brain malfunction

Question 3

If given the opportunity to explain and describe colour to a person born blind, what would be your reference of comparison? Would you say for example; green is the colour of apples, leaves or grass? Then after realising that the person has never seen neither of the items you listed, what would you go on to say?

Question 4

Is there a reason why the five human senses are in pairs yet the bodily organs are singular in existence? Why do we have two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, more than two regions of taste on our tongues and the skin covering more than two portions of our bodies?

Let us take better care of our visual health.