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Our eyes are the gateway into our hearts and soul. Eyes often spell out the state of our minds and emotions that someone might be going through. Moreover, it is our eyes that give us the divine gift of sight, and so, we must protect them.
A person born with no sight and not being able to see might not make that much of a difference, but nothing is worse than losing the power of sight as you age.
It would help if you took care of your eyes in any way possible such as:
1. Proper diet for healthier eyes
2. Physical activities to enhance your sight
3. Use of sunglasses with complete UV ray’s protection
You can apply these things for better sight, but to completely secure your eyes, you should buy Max life’s Smart Plan (UIN: 104N113V02) with critical illness benefits, which not only covers your medical bills but also provides lump sum benefit in case of a terminal illness.
Here’s what you need to know about different aspects of blindness and how it can be prevented.
Causes of Blindness
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In third-world countries such as India, the principal causes of blindness are-
1. Infections like -
a) Trachoma
Trachoma is a disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria. This infection leads to the roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids, which eventually causes blindness.
b) Onchocerciasis (river blindness)
Onchocerciasis is the second most common cause of blindness due to infection and is caused by a parasitic worm, i.e., Onchocerca volvulus.
c) Leprosy
Also known as Hansen’s disease is an infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae bacteria. It is a long-term disease that damages your eyesight.
2. Cataracts
A cataract is clouding in your eye lens that slowly develops but eventually affects your day to day life. Clouded vision makes it more challenging to read, drive, or see anything clearly and can lead to partial blindness if it is not treated well.
3. Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to your optic nerve due to increased pressure inside your eyes. It can be inherited and causes permanent vision loss, which eventually leads to permanent blindness.
4. Injury
Injury to the head may cause total or partial vision loss. It is common after brain surgery, as injury to the head may cost damage to your optic nerve.
Symptoms of Blindness
If you are facing any of the following problems with your eyes, schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist immediately:
1. Discomfort in eyes
2. Severe and sudden pain in eyes
3. Inability to see the shape
4. Poor night vision
5. Seeing rainbow around lights
6. Swollen red eyes
7. Itching and heavy discharge from eyes
Prevention of Blindness
When you are young with no vision problems, you tend to avoid giving much thought to the eyes. As you age, whoever, you might experience a drastic change in the way you see or in some severe cases, even leads to blindness. You don’t need to worry as you can take small preventive measures to protect your eyes and vision.
Here are some blindness preventive options you can opt for:
1. Take proper diet for healthier eyes
a) An increase in a diet that is rich in nutrients that are good for your eyes is the best way to take care of your precious eyes. You can add the following food items in your diet-
b) Green leafy vegetables like spinach or kale that are rich in nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin help in the reduction of eye-related diseases.
c) Fruits like strawberries, mangoes, and oranges that are rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants also help in fighting eye diseases.
d) You can add food items like salmon or any cold-water fish that are rich in omega 3s, which helps in tear production and relieves dry eyes.
2. Go for regular eye checkups/exams
Getting your eyes regularly checked can help you in many ways as you can detect the problem at its early stages and can get timely treatment. It would help if you visited an ophthalmologist at least once every year.
3. Quit smoking before your eyesight quits on you
When you smoke, cyanide gets into your bloodstream and can be harmful to your eye’s cells. Smoking can increase other eye-related problems like-
a) Cataract
b) Increase in dryness in your eyes
c) Increases risk of macular degeneration
Cure of Blindness
Many people, at some point in their life, deal with low eyesight, and even in some cases, this leads to blindness. However, don’t worry that medical innovations have made great strides in the last few years and have produced advance technology that can cure blindness. Some of them are given below-
a) Corneal Inlays
b) Gene therapy for inherited diseases of the eye
c) Bionic eye
You can use these modern medical technologies to cure blindness.
Secure Your Precious Eyes
Your eyes are precious; take care of them by applying the methods mentioned above. Also, it is advisable that you should buy insurance that will cover medical expenses in the time of crisis. We at Max Life Insurance provide Max life Smart Plan (UIN: 104N113V02) with Accelerated Critical Illness Benefit that will cover anything related to blindness, from medical expenses to hospitalization bills.
Also, a Smart plan with critical illness cover works as a term plan, as it will provide your family with the coverage in case of your untimely demise. So, it is highly manageable as you only have to pay a premium for one plan with multiple benefits.
A smart plan with critical illness cover will ensure that you don’t have to worry about finances in case of eventuality and focus on your recovery. Take care of your eyes and explore the corners of the world.
References -
https://www.medindia.net/health_statistics/general/causesblindness.asp
https://www.medicinenet.com/blindness/article.htm
https://www.healthline.com/health/blindness
https://www.maxlifeinsurance.com/term-insurance-plans/critical-illness
ARN:- 01122019/Blog15
