By Henrylito D. Tacio
(First of Two Parts)
“The soul, fortunately, has an interpreter – often an unconscious but still a faithful interpreter – in the eye,” wrote English novelist and poet Charlotte Bronte. American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson believes “the eyes indicate the antiquity of the soul.”
Henry David Thoreau, another American essayist, called the eye “the jewel of the body.” Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero also said, “The eyes, like sentinel, occupy the highest place in the body.” St. Jerome wrote something more poetic: “The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart.”
There are more things eyes can do. An Iranian proverb states: “The eyes can do a thousand things that the fingers can’t.” Naomie Harris has said better: “It’s true about the eyes being the window to the soul. Your face can be etched with worry, and twisted by ageing, but the eyes tell the true story of who you are.”
When we sleep, we don’t need our eyes. But when we are awake, our eyes are the most important because we use them for watching movies, seeing things, reading books and documents, and segregating the beautiful from the ugly.
Because our eyesight plays such an important role each day, we need to protect them. But sad to say, we don’t take care enough of our eyes.
Forty-year-old Marilou Gonzales never believes in eye check-up; in fact, she had never gone to an eye doctor although she had lately a problem of seeing things clearly. One time, she read a feature story of a man who never consulted an eye doctor. It was only when he had a problem seeing things clearly that the man went to an ophthalmologist. But the doctor told him that it was already too late to save his eyes from glaucoma.
After reading the story, Marilou became frightened. So much so the following morning, she immediately made an appointment with an eye doctor. Although she had a perfect 20/20 vision, the doctor conducted a thorough examination. True enough, the doctor found out she had glaucoma, the clouding of the lens of the eye which leads to a decrease in vision.
Christian Vergara came to an eye clinic two months ago. He complained of severe headache and blurring of vision to the doctor. On examination, the eye doctor noticed that the blurring of the patient’s vision was not due to refractive error but increased in the intracranial pressure caused by a choked disc.
The eye doctor thought the symptoms the patient had was more than just a problem of his eyes; he feared Christian may have a brain tumor. So, he immediately referred the patient to a neurosurgeon, who confirmed the eye doctor’s finding.
Eye check-ups don’t only save a person’s eyesight (as in the case of Marilou) but life itself in some instances. “Had I not seen an eye doctor,” Christian said, “I would have been dead by now. I really didn’t know that I had a brain tumor until I went to see an eye doctor.”
Although most people these days visit their doctors for physical annual check-ups or see their dentists every six months, such is not the case for eye check-ups. Although there are no studies done in the Philippines yet, Dr. Maria Imelda Yap-Veloso believes only 15% of Filipinos would come for an eye check-up without any eye complaints.
“The remaining 85% would come in for consultation because of certain eye complaints,” says Dr. Yap-Veloso, an ophthalmologist at the Asian Eye Institute in Makati City. Common complaints include blurred or dim vision, “halos” around lights, night-vision problems, sensitivity to light, and severe eye pain.
There are several reasons why people won’t see an eye doctor. For one, they are not aware that certain serious eye diseases may not have any symptoms until the disease reaches its final and serious stage. Glaucoma is a classic example, because damage to vision usually starts from the periphery, and patients often do not notice the problem until it is too late.
“Many people in the early stages of the disease do not notice symptoms until eye damage becomes so severe, it is impossible to repair,” explains Dr. Narciso F. Atienza, a diplomate of the Philippine Board of Ophthalmology. “Every year, many Filipinos needlessly go blind because their glaucoma was detected too late.”
Fear is another reason. There are those who may think an eye examination is a painful and complicated process. Actually, it’s the opposite. “I have some patients who, after an eye check-up, would say, ‘Is that all? I expected it to be a more horrifying experience than that!’” shares Dr. Yap-Veloso.
Another reason for not seeing an eye doctor: They are afraid of bad news. “Some think that getting a pair of glasses is the solution to whatever it is they are experiencing,” says Dr. Barbara L. Roque, a consultant ophthalmologist at the Eye Republic Ophthalmology Clinic.
If you have 20/20 unaided vision (meaning without glasses), it means your eyes are functioning well. But even then, it is not a guarantee of good eye health. “Certain eye problems like glaucoma (affecting only peripheral vision in the early part of the disease), retina problems and even cataract may occur in a patient with 20/20 vision,” Dr. Yap-Veloso points out.
Can eye problems be reversed? “It depends on the eye problem,” says Dr. Roque. “If the problem involves vital eye parts like the optic nerve, the retina, or the lens, something can almost always be done to address the problem but the return of visual function to normal depends on the severity of the condition and the length of time that has lapsed since the start of the symptoms.” (To be concluded)
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