Our bodies can heal some ailments, which is why broken bones repair themselves and cuts disappear - but what about the eyes? We can't grow new ones and we can't most eye conditions without medical intervention. But can the eyes heal themselves in other ways?
First, let's look at everyday eye dangers
Sun damage
One of the most common things that damage our eyesight is UV sunlight. Overexposure to UV light can have adverse effects such as cataracts, blindness, and even cancer. There is a simple way of minimising damage, and that is by wearing UV protected sunglasses when outside in the sun.
Alcohol
Excessive consumption of alcohol is really bad for your eyes. Drinking too much can have a big impact on your eyesight in your later life, so please enjoy yourself but, please drink responsibly.
Smoking
The smoke from cigarettes can damage your eyes. The chemicals used in tobacco products have various side effects on eyesight, like potentially developing cataracts at a young age.
Screen exposure
Another thing that will damage your eyes is overexposure to screens. From computers and smartphones to TVs and tablets, people spend a huge amount of time these days staring at screens. Problems with excessive screen time can cause dry eye, as well as eye strain. Try to reduce your screen time daily as well as make sure you take frequent breaks. If you have to look at a screen for a long period, is to look away and focus on something else to give your eyes a rest.
Dry eye and the environment
Dry eye is when the eyelids are not producing enough lubrication. Our eyelids, when shut, slide on a compound consisting of oil, water and mucus across the ocular surface of our eyes. Whilst these compounds lubricate the eye, dry eye is when the water within that compound evaporates at an accelerated rate, thus meaning the eye becomes “dry.”
This is, however, not the only cause of dry eye, there are a wide variety of factors to include, the second most important being the environment. Environmental factors such as wind, sun, heat, air conditioning, and many more all contribute to the severity and volatility of dry eye. People with dry eyes will normally describe their eyes as irritating, scratchy, sore, red or painful.
AMD
AMD is normally an age-related disorder, usually affecting over 50s, and the middle part of the vision. It does not cause total blindness despite what people might say, however, it will make tasks like reading and recognising faces difficult.
If not managed, this disorder can get worse over the years and can affect one eye or both eyes. The first symptom is often a blurred or distorted area in your vision. If it gets worse, you might struggle to see anything in the middle of your vision seeing straight lines as wavy or crooked objects looking smaller than normal colours seeming less bright than they used to see things that aren't there (hallucinations). AMD isn't painful and doesn't affect the appearance of your eyes. If you have a problem with your eyes, early diagnosis and treatment may help stop your vision from getting worse.
Self-healing eyes?
So we have looked over the potential ways in which our eyes can get damaged. But can our eyes heal naturally?
The simple answer is yes, some damage can be done without medical intervention. One of the most common optical injuries is corneal abrasions, which are scratches on the outer layer of the eye. These types of wounds heal on their own within just a few hours, as long as it’s not being rubbed. Keeping your eyes lubricated after any sort of injury is vital to its healing process.
The natural tears that coat the eyeball contains antibodies that will prevent infection, which is very important when there’s a wound on the surface of the eye. This can be helped by applying eye drops, or running water over your eye and washing it out, however, there are some conditions such as AMD and dry eye that require more powerful nutrients to help.
Give your eyes a helping hand
Derived from the botanical extracts of the marigold flower, MacuShield's breakthrough formula has been scientifically proven to protect your eyes from the onset of sight-threatening conditions such as macular degeneration. The MacuShield formula, backed by the worlds’ leading eye care experts, takes three naturally found carotenoids; lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin and puts them into one easy-to-take food capsule. These three nutrients play the essential role of protecting the macula from free radicals and improving our sensitivity to blue light. By strengthening the macula, MacuShield slows down the progression of age-related macular degeneration.
Blephclean, its specialised formula for Blepharitis is ideal for ensuring your eyes maintain top quality hygiene, simply one wipe in the morning and one before bed. This will ensure that any bacterial growth on or in the eye is reduced aiding in eyes recovery. Also, we highly recommend our premium Thealoz Duo, a third-generation preservative-free eye lubrication drop, it’s our go-to product for improving Dry Eye conditions - suitable for contact lenses wearers and non-contact lenses wearers.
So it seems that in some instances, your eyes can heal themselves, but prevention is the best cure.