EyeMark Newsletters

The eye is a highly specialised complex sensory organ which contains many structures to enable vision. Light enters the eye through the pupil, is focused by the lens and lands at the back of the eye on the retina which contains millions of light-sensitive receptor cells as well as other nerve cells that receive and organise visual information. The light is converted into electrical impulses which travel via the optic nerve to the brain where they are processed and interpreted. The two primary photoreceptor cells are the rods and cones. Rods, which are responsible for black and white vision, are generally situated around the edges of the retina. They can detect the lowest amounts of light, allowing people to see at night. Cones are present in the macula, the central part of the retina, and help people distinguish colours and see in typical light conditions. There are different types of cones, depending on the colour to which they are sensitive. Retinal disorders are conditions that can affect any part of the retina. They vary widely, but most of them cause visual symptoms. Some may mildly affect a person’s vision, while others can cause severe vision loss or blindness. Anything that affects the retina should be taken seriously since with some conditions vision cannot be restored once it has been lost. Depending on the specific condition, treatment is available, the goal of which may be to stop or slow down its progression. The earlier the condition is detected, the better the long-term...

MEN AND WOMEN DON’T SEE EYE TO EYE! Does gender play a role in our visual ability? Is there a distinction between men’s and women’s vision? According to research, the answer is an unreserved yes – men and women literally see the world differently. To paraphrase a well-known expression, “visual ability is in the eye of the beholder”, or at least in the gender of the beholder. Among other factors, this difference includes hormonal effects and susceptibility to eye diseases and eye care. VISUAL PERCEPTION Generally, women are better able to distinguish subtle differences in colour, while men are more able to detect fast-moving objects and details. It has been suggested that this may have its roots in the evolutionary history of human beings. Dating back thousands of years, the differentiated roles of men and women in prehistoric society is thought to have impacted brain function and led to the development of distinct abilities to fit those roles. Men were required to hunt, necessitating the ability to perceive fast motion and detect the fine details of both prey and predators at long range. The task of women was to forage and gather food, requiring better recognition and colour differentiation at close range to determine which foods were edible or ripe enough to eat. Research concludes that biological evolution and adaptation has differentiated the vision between the two genders. INFLUENCE OF HORMONES Hormones, the body’s natural messengers, play an important role in how the eyes work. Hormonal fluctuations during significant life changes,...

As our country celebrates Youth Month, I celebrate the two youths who live in our house. They charm, delight, madden, exhaust and exasperate us. But as the wisdom goes, kids are here to teach us things. For example, I’ve always heard that kids are a lesson in patience. I’m not sure I’ve mastered that one yet, but my youths have taught me a whole lot of other things. Such as... When our two-year-old handed me the TV remote and asked me to change Mickey Mouse into Minnie Mouse. I marveled at how much power he thought I had. Or maybe he really believed anything was possible. When our two-year-old first began questioning the nature of the universe and asked: “Whobody makes it sunny and makes it dark?” When I was saying something parental to our two-year-old and he asked, “Why you talking always?” Which taught me to shut up. When our three-year-old apologised for not saying please and explained that his magic word got stuck inside his body. Those good manners also meant he got angry watching rugby, because the players were pushing and not saying sorry. When our three-year-old gave us a big smile and said, “I’m just going somewhere I’m not supposed to be.” I respected his unbridled honesty, and then asked a whole lot of follow-up questions. When our three-year-old saw a shooting star and I told him to make a wish, so he wished for another shooting star. I praised his logic, and again his belief in...

In spite of all that parents do to try to keep their children safe, accidents do happen, and many of those result in eye injuries. Eye injuries can occur around the eye, on the eyelid and inside the eye, and certain vision problems may be the result of injuries to the head. Types of eye injuries include scratches or abrasions to the cornea, foreign bodies in the eye, chemical burns, blood in the eye, bruising around the eye, cuts on the eyelid and fractures of the bone around the eye. Causes of Eye Injuries       Approximately half of all eye injuries occur in the home, most of them being caused during play. Everyday objects in the home and garden are often involved in eye injuries, for example crayons, scissors, kitchen utensils, edges of furniture, sticks, tools and garden equipment which may cause debris to fly into the eyes. Household cleaners and aerosols can cause chemical burns to the eyes. Injuries can be caused by projectile toys, even those with soft projectiles, and toys with antennas, sharp edges and sharp points. Eye injuries are common while playing sport. It is never advisable for children to handle fireworks, firecrackers or even sparklers, as they pose a high risk of injuries. Children enjoy playing with flashlights and laser pointers; however, if shone directly into the eyes they can cause eye damage. General Symptoms of Eye Injuries While there are sometimes no obvious symptoms of an eye injury, some of the more obvious...

How much time did your child spend looking at a screen today? The answer probably depends on how old they are, what grade they are in at school, even if they are at school, and what rules you have in your home regarding screen time. For children growing up in the digital age it is impossible to imagine life without screens. Devices like cell phones, laptops and tablets have become essential tools in most parts of the world, which has led parents, guardians, teachers and researchers to wonder whether screens are good or bad for children. While there are many benefits of digital technology, such as education, entertainment and communication, and it was invaluable during the difficult time of the Covid pandemic, overexposure and prolonged use of digital devices can have detrimental effects on children. The recent surge in the amount of time children spend in front of screens has been associated with health concerns, developmental issues, obesity, poor sleep quality and visual problems. What are the signs of digital eye strain from screen use?       Digital eye strain is not a single eye condition, but a number of symptoms that occur as a result of extended time staring at screens. Symptoms may include headaches, eye fatigue, blurred vision, dry eyes, burning and itchiness. Children with eye fatigue may complain of eye pain and tiredness and often lose interest in reading and close tasks. Children tend to become intensely absorbed in activities, and without breaks from intense focus on...

With rapid changes occurring in the body during the teenage years, this is often when vision problems first arise. The common vision problems for this age group are refractive problems, which include myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Myopia, shortsightedness, is the difficulty with distance vision, while hyperopia, farsightedness, is a problem with focusing close up. Astigmatism occurs as a result of an abnormally shaped cornea, leading to the inability to see clearly at long and short distances.       Other eye conditions found in teenagers are often associated with their lifestyle. Symptoms of digital eye strain, such as eye fatigue or dry eyes, may occur due to extended time spent on computers or handheld devices. Involvement in outdoor sport activities without protective eyewear can cause sports-related eye injuries or long -term damage from the UV rays of the sun. Teenagers are sometimes susceptible to eye infections, which may be the result of poor contact lens care or sharing of makeup. Adolescence is a time when many different factors play a role in creating a busy lifestyle, with academic, social and sporting activities. Their activities will dictate the management of the eye condition as well as the suitable choice of eyewear which needs to be both functional and fashionable. Refractive conditions can be successfully managed with glasses or contact lenses. Once vision has stabilised and the eyes are less likely to change, at about 18 years of age, refractive surgery is a further option to correct vision. Conditions such as dry eyes,...

With it being estimated that about 80% of what we learn is through our vision, it is understandable that a child’s eyes are constantly active. Without an effectively functioning visual system, learning in the classroom as well as on the sports field is compromised and the child cannot perform at his or her potential. As children progress through the educational system increasing demands are placed on their visual skills. The size of print in textbooks becomes smaller and the amount of time spent reading and studying increases significantly. Increased workload and homework place more demands on the child's eyes. VISUAL SKILLS FOR SCHOOL While 20/20 vision, the ability to see clearly, is essential, a child needs a number of abilities in order to understand, process and respond successfully to specific learning material and the school environment.       Visual Acuity “After studying hard, Peter was upset to find that he had failed his test. On closer inspection, his teacher discovered that he had copied the questions incorrectly from the board because he was unable to read them clearly.” Children need to be able to see clearly and comfortably in the distance for viewing the board, at an intermediate distance for the computer and up close for reading a book. Peripheral Vision Peripheral or indirect vision is the awareness of things outside the centre of the gaze while looking straight ahead, awareness of things “in the corner of one’s eye”. Eye Focusing This is the ability to keep both eyes accurately...

Young children have a natural tendency to be curious and learn about the world around them by exploring. As they play, they are not simply entertaining themselves, but are developing critical skills which help them to navigate their world. The careful choice of toys and activities facilitates all areas of their development, including motor skills, language, social skills, critical thinking, problem-solving and visual skills. These are essential for successful performance both inside and outside the classroom and have a ripple effect on the child’s confidence. BUILDING TOYS       From simple brightly coloured stacking cups for infants, shape sorting toys for toddlers, puzzles for preschoolers, and complex construction activities for older children, building toys develop important visual skills. When children engage in building activities, they explore shapes, sizes and colours, analysing and comparing them, recognising their similarities and differences and stimulating visualisation as they plan and organise their construction. Creativity, problem-solving skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination are enhanced. Hand-eye coordination is the ability to use the visual information from the eyes to guide the hands to carry out an activity. Good hand-eye coordination is essential for reading, writing, using scissors, colouring inside the lines, and playing sports. VISUAL THINKING GAMES       Activities such as puzzles challenge children’s visual discrimination, pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, depth perception and sequencing, developing their ability to develop and strengthen their ability to understand and process visual information. They learn to categorise, sort and match the puzzle pieces according to visual clues, and...

If you’re anything like me, you spend all year complaining that the Oscars are a politics-driven popularity contest that doesn’t mean anything in relation to talent or creativity. And then, when March comes around, you watch every second of the very lengthy ceremony - and discuss it for weeks afterwards. Just in case (like me) you have FOMO because the Oscars happen far away in Los Angeles, let’s hand out some local awards in honour of the recent ceremony. Presenting... the South African Oscars. Or SOscars. BEST PICTURE We’ve watched some amazing things over the past year. But this Oscar often goes to the popular choice, and the SOscars should be no different. So let’s give this one to our live, televised World Cup victory - because why not celebrate it one more time? BEST DIRECTOR If a director has something of a superiority complex, then this award goes to our very own Elon Musk. Launching things into space because he can. Buying a huge social media platform because he can. Changing its name to a single letter because he can. Firing a whole bunch of staff because he can... In fact, this candidate has inspired me to petition Hollywood to change the name of this particular accolade to the Because I Can award. BEST ACTOR Our nominees are various men in local positions of power. The award for the biggest performer of the year goes to... hmm, too close to call. BEST ACTRESS Meryl Streep. Because always. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR...

Cigarette smoking and vaping are both potentially damaging to the eyes. While tobacco smoke is a hazardous mixture of over 5,000 chemicals, vaping solutions do not produce tar or carbon monoxide but often have much higher nicotine levels than cigarettes as well as other chemicals with known and unknown negative effects. Toxins enter the blood stream and are carried throughout the body damaging both blood vessels and various parts of the body, including the delicate light-sensitive tissue of the eyes. Smoking reduces the body’s absorption of nutrients essential for eye health. DRY EYE A short-term effect of smoking is the development or worsening of dry eye syndrome, a common eye condition caused by insufficient lubrication of the surface of the eyes. Exposure to smoke irritates the eyes, leading to dryness, scratchiness, redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity and excessive watering, all of which cause particular discomfort in contact lens wearers. CATARACTS     A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s naturally clear transparent lens, gradually leading to cloudy or blurred vision, sensitivity to light, difficulty seeing at night or in low light conditions, and perceiving colours as faded. Most people develop cataracts as part of the normal aging process, but people who smoke have an increased risk of cataract development and are more likely to develop them earlier than non-smokers. As well as increasing the number of damaging free radicals in the eyes, smoking can destroy the antioxidants which fight these free radicals. MACULAR DEGENERATION     Smoking is the major...