3 min readNigerian Optometric Association, Lagos State ChapterEye health
Most corneal scratches heal in a day or two. A few become ulcers, and an ulcer on the cornea scars — which is permanent even after the infection clears.
Written for welders, panel beaters, carpenters, masons and mechanics — the trades that supply a disproportionate share of Lagos eye casualties.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Almost everyone has floaters and almost all of them are harmless. A sudden change is a different matter, and it is time-critical.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Sport causes a meaningful share of serious eye injuries, almost all preventable. It also depends on visual skills that ordinary spectacles do not address.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Some of what happens to older eyes is simply ageing. Some is disease easily mistaken for it. Telling them apart is the point.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Vitamin A deficiency is a genuine and serious cause of childhood blindness in Nigeria. Most other nutritional claims about eyesight are considerably weaker.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Herbal preparations, breast milk and borrowed steroid drops turn up regularly in Lagos eye clinics — attached to avoidable damage.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Night driving that has become uncomfortable is usually telling you something specific. So is the sense that headlights dazzle more than they used to.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Glaucoma treatment fails more often through drops not being used than through drops not working. Here is why it happens, and what makes it easier.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Most visual changes in pregnancy are harmless and temporary. A few are warning signs that need attention the same day.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Nigeria has the world's largest sickle cell population. The retinal complications are silent until they are sudden.
· 3 min read · Eye health
The retina is the only place blood vessels can be seen directly — which makes an eye examination a window onto hypertension.
· 2 min read · Eye health
Most red eyes are minor. A few are emergencies, and they are distinguishable. The dividing line is pain and vision.
· 3 min read · Eye health
About one boy in twelve has some colour vision deficiency. Most manage easily, but some careers require normal colour vision.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Welders, grinders, carpenters, mechanics and chemical handlers make up a large share of eye emergencies in Lagos. Almost all of these injuries are preventable.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Cataract surgery is among the most effective operations in medicine. Cataract is still the leading cause of blindness in Nigeria.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Gritty, burning, tired eyes that water for no reason. Dry eye is one of the commonest complaints in Lagos practice, and drops are rarely the whole answer.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Lagos sits close to the equator with high ultraviolet levels all year. Dark lenses without UV protection are worse than no sunglasses at all — here is why.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Six things that make a measurable difference to your eyes, and three widely repeated pieces of advice that do not.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Diabetic retinopathy causes no pain and no early blurring. That is why screening is annual rather than symptom-driven.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Long hours at a screen leave eyes sore and tired. Much of what is sold as a remedy does not hold up. Here is what the research supports.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Glaucoma takes peripheral vision first, and the brain fills in the gap. By the time it is obvious, the damage cannot be undone.
· 3 min read · Eye health
Most people expect the letter chart and little else. A full examination checks the health of the eye as well as the sharpness of your sight.
· 3 min read · Eye health
