The teenage years of life are described as a second phase of development wherein the body matures further to carry out a wider range of functions. During this time period, almost every aspect of the body is affected and hence changed as a means to make the individual more fertile and ready for reproductive life. The changes consequently also affect the most sensitive organs of your body, namely the eyes in multiple ways, out of which three have a significant impact on your vision as observed by eye specialists.
Lengthening Of Your Eye Balls
As your hormones are at an all-time surge during puberty, a lot of growth and developments occur in the teenage body. Amongst these is the lengthening of the eyeball that causes changes in the eyesight of an individual. Most teenagers are prone to develop myopia as a result, which is also known as nearsightedness. This means that objects that are farther away from the eye cannot be perceived as clearly as expected.
As a means to combat this developing problem, eye doctors often prescribe eyeglasses that can be worn during this time period. Most often than not, these changes in vision are expected to stabilize once your teenage years pass away, and all the developments that need to occur are complete. This is another reason why doctors do not recommend teenagers to get any LASIK surgeries or permanent means of solving vision problems as the conditions are expected to change with time.
Sensitivity To Risk Factors
Parents and specialists especially advocate limiting exposure to blue light through digital screens for the fear that it can cause adviser effects on a developing teen’s vision. There are a lot of risk factors that can impact and propel changes in vision to occur that can cause lifelong implications for your teen. During this growth phase, teenagers are sensitive to the many risk factors present in the environment.
To name a few increased blue light exposure by sitting in front of a PC or tablet for extended hours of a day and even not wearing the needed means of protection such as sunglasses when out in the sun. The first habit can be a risk factor because it leads to digital eye strain that can eventually cause myopia, nearsightedness, to develop amongst other problems. As for protection from the sun, continuous UV exposure can lead to irreversible damage that would require the intervention of procedures and surgeries in order to gain normalcy once again.
Astigmatism
As the eyes experience changes that are erratic during growth spurts of puberty, astigmatism is one eye complication that can develop during the time period. The lengthening of the eyeball can also cause the cornea or lens in the eyes to become misshapen due to the unusual expansion that brings forth a blurry vision. This is exemplary of astigmatism and is a common occurrence, especially during the first couple of years of puberty. Using a comprehensive eye exam at an eye hospital, the condition can be diagnosed and treated with contact lenses or eyeglasses.
It is always advisable to wait out for all the changes to occur and stabilize before any major procedure that permanently affects your vision is taken. Scheduling regular eye exams is another requirement that must be religiously followed to help diagnose conditions early and use the correct interventions to stop further deterioration of your vision. To schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist for professional care and assistance, you can get in touch with our team at Ebsaar Eye Surgery Center for an early consultation.