EyeMark Newsletters

2024 was remarkable for many reasons. Not least of which being that the number 2024 is the sum of eleven non-consecutive integers. For those who have any idea what that means, you can celebrate the special significance of the number. As for the rest of us, let’s see what else made this year an interesting one. Japan’s moon landing in January got the year off to an… astronomical… start. The Land of the Rising Sun became the fifth recorded country to execute a soft landing on the moon. The stats didn’t say exactly what a hard landing is, or how many countries have succeeded in that regard (if “succeeded” is the word for it). It was exactly 55 years since Neil Armstrong’s trip, but this time around no one seems to be asking whether it was all staged in a basement somewhere. 2024 was also a year in which a solar eclipse was visible from North America. It happened in April, and little did the USA know that a larger Force of Nature was on its way. It landed in November following a tense election process… but let’s not get into politics. This year also saw an unusual spate of solar storms and solar flares. Not sure what that suggests on a cosmic level, but it sounded significant enough to mention. We also had the so-called “comet of the century” coming closer to Earth than it’s ever been. If you’d rather get onto a first-name basis, its official title is CC/2023...

Helping to ensure that a child’s entry into school is an easy step into his educational journey begins long before buying school uniforms and stationery. As well as being intellectually, emotionally and socially ready for school, the child needs to have appropriate skills in hearing, vision and communication, the three pillars that form the foundation of success in the school years. The development of school readiness skills allows teachers to expand and further develop a child’s skills in the specific areas required for learning. Because 80% of learning occurs through the eyes, clear vision and effective visual perceptual skills are fundamental to learning to read, write and do maths. Visual perception is the brain’s ability to make sense of what the eyes see, allowing us to interpret, filter, organise and make sense of the world around us. Development of visual perceptual abilities can be facilitated by parents in the years before the child starts school. Children are curious natural learners who discover the world around them by play and exploration. Careful selection by parents of appropriate activities and toys can enhance the child’s learning experience, preparing them to engage and thrive in the classroom. WHAT ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF VISUAL PERCEPTION?       Good visual perceptual skills are important, not only for reading and writing, but for many everyday activities. Teaching a child to read and write depends on how well their visual perceptual ability has been built. Each of the following visual skills has a vital role to...

Since the invention of the printing press almost 600 years ago, the production of books has exploded globally, expanding our worlds with the spreading of storytelling and knowledge. The thirst for knowledge and information has continued over the centuries, but in today’s increasingly digital world, interaction with printed media is becoming less and less common as more and more people are spending their time looking at screens rather than the printed page. Which is better for our eyes, our health and our planet? LCD VS. E-INK SCREENS       There are a number of fundamental differences between the screens of e-readers, which use e-Ink, and those of computers, smartphones and iPads, which use an LCD display. LCD screens can display text, pictures and videos in full colour, and because they are backlit are easy to read in the dark or in low light. E-Ink screens, on the other hand, are black and white, are unable to display videos and can only be read in good lighting, including outdoors where it is often difficult to read on an LCD screen. Because e-Ink is designed to mimic a printed page, it is easier on the eyes and minimises eyestrain. Reading in print or on screens not only causes our eyes to work in different ways, but we process what we are reading differently. Computer screens, smartphones, and tablets use pixels which display text and images differently than e-readers and print. They make our eyes work harder and glare on an LCD screen...

Most of the information we use when driving comes through the eyes, and a large percentage of critical decisions that drivers make are based on visual cues. Our eyes control most of our movements while driving, constantly moving, focusing and refocusing as they adjust to the flow of input. Navigating the roads can be challenging and requires a combination and integration of complex skills. These include the motor ability to scan a rapidly changing environment, the sensory ability to perceive information, the attentiveness to process multiple pieces of information, the cognitive ability to judge this information and to make appropriate decisions and the motor ability to execute these decisions quickly. VISUAL ACUITY Visual acuity, the ability to see clearly, is fundamental to safe driving. A driver’s visual acuity must at least be such that he has time, while moving, to detect and to react to obstacles, pedestrians, other vehicles and road signs, in daylight and in darkness. If distance vision is poor, one may not see hazards until it's too late to react safely. PERIPHERAL VISION AND VISUAL FIELD        Being able to see ‘out of the corner of the eye’ without moving the head and while keeping the eyes on the road enables the driver to see cross traffic, pedestrians, cyclists, road signs and obstacles. How wide an area the eye can see while focused on a central point, the visual field, is equally important. Studies have shown that some individuals with some degree of peripheral visual field...

Exactly like humans, animals can suffer from various vision problems which can significantly impact their quality of life by compromising their ability to navigate their environment, find food, avoid predators and interact with others. These issues can arise due to congenital conditions, injuries, infections, age-related changes or even environmental factors. COMMON EYE PROBLEMS IN PETS Infections and Inflammation Conditions such as conjunctivitis, uveitis and keratitis are common in various species of pets and can lead to temporary or permanent vision problems. They can result from bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, allergies, autoimmune diseases or even trauma including a bump to the eye or something penetrating the eye. Corneal Ulcers       The cornea, the clear outermost layer of the eye, is susceptible to injuries and infections. Corneal ulcers are a common issue in animals, often resulting from trauma, bacterial or viral infections, or foreign bodies entering the eye. They can be caused by something as simple as a scratch from another animal or thorn or even eyelashes growing in the wrong direction. These ulcers are painful and can lead to vision impairment or loss if not treated promptly. Without treatment, they can very quickly turn from mild ulcers that are easily treatable with medication to severe ulcers that may need general anaesthetic and surgery to save the eye. Glaucoma Glaucoma is a condition characterised by increased pressure within the eye, leading to damage to the optic nerve and progressive vision loss. It is a severe and painful condition that affects...

Its widely known that the sun’s rays are harmful to the body, but moderate amounts in the right balance have numerous health benefits. When it comes to the eyes, emphasis is placed on protecting our eyes from the harmful rays of the sun by wearing sunglasses, but it is not as simple as that, because there are many myths and misconceptions around sunglasses which can compromise eye health. SUNGLASSES SHOULD ONLY BE WORN IN BRIGHT SUN The purpose of wearing sunglasses is not simply to shield the eyes from a brightly shining sun, but to block harmful ultraviolet rays from entering the eyes. Of course, sunglasses should be worn in the sun, but it is equally important to wear them in the shade as UV rays may be reflected from other surfaces.       ITS NOT NECESSARY TO WEAR SUNGLASSES ON CLOUDY DAYS The sun’s harmful UV rays can penetrate clouds and haze, posing a risk to the eyes even on overcast days. Different kinds of clouds block different amounts of UV light, so it’s difficult to know for sure how much is getting through. Some clouds only block about 25-50%, while others may actually expose you to more UV light than a clear sky, as they can scatter sunlight and redirect it toward you. To protect your eyes, wear UV-blocking sunglasses even when it’s cloudy.       THE DARKER THE LENSES, THE BETTER THE PROTECTION The darkness of the lenses is a matter of personal preference rather than...

October is National Pizza month. Why wouldn’t we write a whole article about it? Anything else would feel like a missed opportunity. So let’s bite right into it. Pizzas are a big deal all over the world, which is clearly evident due to the random facts about pizzas we don’t really need to know. Statistics reveal that Americans eat 350 slices of pizza every second. Statistics also reveal that the majority of statistics are about America, and tend to ignore the rest of the world. So how much pizza is eaten in South Africa? We can only guess. Speaking of the world, there are conflicting reports as to its origin. Egyptians and Ancient Greeks were eating “a type of flat bread” long before delivery guys brought pizza boxes to your door. But it seems tomatoes sealed the deal. Because it was only when people in Naples started adding tomatoes that the pizza is said to have been born. According to more statistics that need to be verified and don’t represent the entire world, the most popular pizza topping is pepperoni. Except if you’re in India, where another study has revealed that the most popular topping is tofu. And while October has everyone talking about the latest US presidential debate, the real debate has been raging for decades. You know the one… whether or not pineapple belongs on a pizza. Let’s not even get into it. Strangely enough, Hawaiian pizza (pineapple included) was invented in Canada. No, not strange because Canada isn’t...

      Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body does not effectively process blood sugar. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose and delivers it to the cells all over the body. With diabetes, the body either does not produce or does not respond effectively to insulin, leading to high levels of glucose or sugar in the bloodstream, which in turn can lead to damage to the blood vessels and nerves throughout the body. The eyes are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of a variety of eye problems. Over time, changes occur in the tiny blood vessels in the retina at the back of the eye, making it harder for the blood to flow and causing the blood vessels to become blocked, bleed or leak fluid. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they are to develop diabetic eye disease, a group of eye conditions caused by high blood sugar levels. The risk is significantly reduced if blood sugar levels are controlled, and the impact on vision decreases if the problem is detected and managed early. It is important for people with diabetes to have regular comprehensive eye examinations as there are often no early symptoms, but signs of eye disease can be noticed by an optometrist before it has progressed, and symptoms become apparent. Early detection and treatment can help protect vision. DIABETIC RETINOPATHY       Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of vision loss in...

Night blindness, nyctalopia, is a condition which makes it difficult to see well at night or in poor or low light conditions. Although night blindness adversely affects a person’s ability to see in dim light or take longer than usual to adapt from light to dark settings, it does not cause complete blindness. It is not a vision condition itself but is rather a symptom of another problem or the result of an existing vision disorder. Because it reduces vision, it can significantly impact quality of life and can be a source of fear and anxiety for those affected by it. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF NIGHT BLINDNESS? The main symptoms of night blindness are difficulty seeing in the dark, trouble adjusting when moving from a bright environment to an area of low light or increasing problems when driving at night due to the intermittent brightness of headlights and streetlights. It may be challenging to move around the house in dim light and is sometimes difficult to recognise faces in low light conditions. Other symptoms that may occur depend on the underlying cause of the condition, and may include headaches, eye strain, blurry vision, sensitivity to light and difficulty with distance vision. WHAT CAUSES NIGHT BLINDNESS?       Night blindness is a symptom of an underlying eye condition that results in vision impairment while in dim lighting. A wide range of conditions makes it hard to see at night. One of the early symptoms of cataracts is often night blindness,...

World Sight Day, observed globally on the second Thursday of October every year, is dedicated to raising awareness about vision impairment, blindness and eye health. It focuses the world’s attention on the importance of eye care and strives to inspire everyone, at every age and every stage, to ‘Love Your Eyes’. The theme for 2024, ‘Love Your Eyes – Kids’, emphasises the importance of eye care in young people, inspiring children everywhere to love their eyes and helping to create a world where every child has eye health that is accessible, available and affordable’.       World Sight Day was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) to raise awareness about vision impairment and blindness. It first took place in 1998, became an official event in 2000 and has since become a global initiative supported by various organisations, governments and eye care professionals worldwide. Since its inception, World Sight Day has played a significant role in advocating for eye health, reducing preventable blindness, and improving access to quality eye care services. Recognising that early intervention and regular eye health monitoring is critical to unlocking education opportunities and future economic potential, “we campaign to ensure that children not only understand the importance of caring for their eye health but are also free from the weight of any social stigma associated with wearing glasses and other corrective treatments. Starting with a groundswell of young people who are inspired to make their vision...