JUST as how men and women are still not equal in various aspects, eyesight problems also hit women harder in many ways.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly two-thirds of blind people worldwide are women and girls.
However, 80% of all blindness can be treated, cured or prevented. In many countries, men have twice the access to eye care as women.
This year, World Sight Day (which is always held on the second Thursday of October) is observed tomorrow and themed Gender And Eye Health.
“When we talk about eye problems that affect women more than men, it’s usually due to the longer life expectancy of women and age-related eye problems such as cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration,” said Dr Norazlina Bachik, consultant ophthalmologist with a private eye specialist centre.
In addition, she said, women’s eyeball structures are usually smaller, which can affect refractive errors like myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia, an age-related condition involving the gradual loss of one’s ability to focus on nearby objects.
Smaller eyeballs tend to worsen farsightedness or hyperopia. Hyperopia is a common vision condition in which one can see objects in the distance clearly, but objects nearby may be blurry.
It is not age-related. People with severe farsightedness can only see clearly objects a great distance away, while those with mild farsightedness may see clearly objects that are closer.
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world. Symptoms of cataract are smoky or hazy vision, dull colours and blur night vision. However, cataract is reversible and besides being age-related, is also common in people with diabetes.
The risk of developing diabetes increases with age. Diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes, affects the retina and can cause blindness.
Glaucoma, on the other hand, is hereditary, irreversible and usually asymptomatic. Available treatment only slows down its progression.
Called the “silent thief of sight”, it affects the peripheral vision first, followed by central vision.
The main reason glaucoma happens is due to high intraocular pressure (or pressure within the eyeball) which over time, damages the optic nerve, which is located at the back of the eye.
There are two main types of glaucoma – open angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma occurrences are quite equal between men and women but angle-closure glaucoma is more common in women due to their smaller eyeball structure.
The term “open angle” refers to the angle between the iris and sclera which is normal, in contrast to angle closure glaucoma where the angle is narrowed.
In this condition, there is a sudden increase in the pressure within one eye.
The third eye problem associated with age is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that gradually destroys sharp, central vision, needed for seeing objects clearly and for tasks such as reading and driving.
AMD affects the macular, the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail, and is not painful. In some cases, AMD progression is slow and people do not notice a change in their vision. In others, the disease progresses faster and may lead to a loss of vision in both eyes.
Hormonal imbalance also plays a big part in women’s eyesight. “Anything hormone-related, including hormone replacement therapy and fertility treatments, affect refractive errors,” said Dr Norazlina.
During pregnancy and after, if the mother is breast-feeding, the body experiences hormonal changes which may increase refractive errors, especially presbyopia, and also cause dry eyes.
Lack of estrogen is one of the reasons for dry eyes in women, who form the majority of sufferers.
According to Dr Norazlina, about 90% of her patients with dry eye problems are women.
Lifestyle factors also contribute to eye problems in women. Generally, more women than men wear contact lenses. When there is poor hygiene or extended wear of contact lenses, infections may arise.
In some severe cases, the cornea is scarred. Improper removal of eye make-up causes dirt to be trapped at the base of the eyelash, which can cause infections as well.
Eye check-ups are important in preventing eye and vision problems. To help prevent cataract, wear sunglasses that filter out ultraviolet rays (A and B), which can also cause damage to the macular.
Smoking is also a risk factor for cataract and AMD. Some studies have also shown that high omega-3 fatty acids intake can reduce the occurrences of cataract and AMD.
“The most effective preventive measure for all eye problems is a yearly screening,” stressed Dr Norazlina.
