By Anastasia Adaeze
Your eyes are not just organs; they work like fast cameras, send messages to your brain, and help you understand the world around you. Because of how important they are, taking care of your eyes should be part of your daily life. The good news is, you can care for them right from your home. We blink without noticing. We watch the sunrise or smile at a loved one’s face without thinking about the eyes that make it possible. Vision quietly helps us enjoy beauty, stay safe, and understand information and feelings. But since our eyes are always working, we often forget how delicate and how important they are.
One can replace a tooth or use an artificial leg, but a prosthetic eye cannot give you real sight. It only makes it “look like you can see”. That shows how important it is to protect the eyes you were born with. This truth became clear to Mrs Gloria Maduka, a 38-year-old woman who works at an accounting firm. In an exclusive interview, she shared how she first saw a blur in the side of her right eye while working on a spreadsheet. She thought she was just tired. But later, while driving, she realised she had to turn her whole head to have a clear field of vision of the road. Eventually, she confirmed that she could not see clearly from her side view.
“By the time I went to the doctor”, she said, “I had lost 40% of my side vision to glaucoma. I didn’t even know I was at risk.”
Her story is not unusual. Glaucoma is often called “the silent thief of sight” because it damages your vision slowly and without any warning signs. The World Health Organisation says over 2.2 billion people around the world have vision problems. Even more surprisingly, 1 billion of these cases could have been prevented or treated early. But many people still do not include eye care in their personal health routines or national health systems. In a world where smartphones can support eye care when used as tools for awareness, early detection, and healthy habits, why do we forget to take care of our eyes with such tools we use every day? People often say, “The eyes are the windows to the soul,” but they are also windows to your brain, your health, and your future. Looking through that window early is a stitch in time that saves nine.
The human eye is a wonder. It’s about the size of a ping-pong ball and has over 2 million tiny parts. At the back of the eye is the retina, which has over 120 million light-sensing cells. These cells help you see light, colours, movement, and patterns and send that information to your brain in just milliseconds. But the eyes do not only help you see, they also give clues about your health. The eye is one of the few places where doctors can see blood vessels and nerves without surgery. When an optometrist dilates the eyes, they can sometimes find early signs of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and even Alzheimer’s. A study from The Lancet Neurology in 2023 found that eye scans are now being used to detect brain diseases early, often before any signs show.
“The retina is part of the nervous system,” says Dr Anjali Rao from the University of California. “Changes in the retina often show what’s happening in the brain, too.”
Even with all these facts, most people still do not take eye health seriously. Many go to the dentist regularly but skip eye exams. Dental care is linked to habits, appearance, and pain, but people don’t usually think about their eyes until their vision gets worse.
A 2022 survey from the American Optometric Association found that nearly 40% of adults have not had a full eye checkup in over two years. Most people say they do not have time or cannot afford it. But vision does not work like teeth. You cannot brush or floss your eyes back to health. Damage to your retina, optic nerve, or cornea is often permanent. That is why prevention is so important.
A Look into the Future: What You Can Do Today
Thankfully, the future of eye care is looking bright. New tools like telemedicine (doctor visits over the phone or the internet), smart contact lenses, and AI (artificial intelligence) are changing how we detect and treat eye problems. Big names like MIT and Google’s DeepMind are creating computer programs that can look at eye scans and find signs of diseases like diabetic eye problems and macular degeneration. In some cases, these tools do better than even trained eye doctors. But no matter how advanced the tools get, real change starts with you.
Here are simple things you can do now to protect your vision:
- Get a full eye exam every 1–2 years, even if your eyesight seems fine.
- Wear sunglasses that block ultraviolet rays (UV). Too much sun can cause cataracts and other damage.
- Take screen breaks. Use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Eat healthy. Foods rich in vitamin A, omega-3s, lutein, and zinc (like carrots, green vegetables, and fish) are great for your eyes.
- Know your family history. Some eye problems run in families, like glaucoma and macular degeneration. Finally, listen to your eyes. If they feel dry, tired, blurry, or if you see flashes of light, don’t ignore it. These are signs that something might be wrong.
The famous writer and brain expert Oliver Sacks once said, “The act of seeing is miraculous.” And he was right. Seeing is not just physical; it is emotional, medical, and essential to how we live.
So yes, care for the eyes that let you experience the world you live in. If the eyes have it (so much value), then they truly deserve our full attention. Taking care of your eyes is more than just a good habit. It is a way of life.