Exploring What Oxygen Does For The Eye

Most people know that oxygen is critical to the human body, but many aren’t aware of how important oxygen is to the human eye. Your Miami optometrist may elaborate on how important it is that your eyes get the right amount of oxygen if you ask them about this. This is especially true if you are someone who prefers to wear contacts instead of eyeglasses in Miami Beach for corrective vision problems. Contacts can actually restrict the amount of oxygen that your eyes receive if they are worn improperly, which may lead to optical issues in the future, and potentially even optical damage. Because the cornea does not contain any blood vessels and therefore no blood supply of its own, it has to rely on getting oxygen from the atmosphere and from the tears that naturally coat the eye.

Problems Lack of Oxygen to the Eye Can Cause

If you believe your eyes may not be getting the proper amount of oxygen, then eye doctors in Miami are likely going to tell you to look out for these symptoms:

• Hazy vision. When the cornea does not have the right amount of oxygen, the person experiencing the problems may develop hazy or cloudy vision.
• Red eyes. When there’s a lack of oxygen in the eyes, red, spidery veins may appear on the whites of the eyes.
• Discomfort. It’s common for people with a lack of oxygen in their eyes to experience optical discomfort to some degree.
• If the lack of oxygen to the cornea is not corrected, it will eventually cause structural warpage of the cornea and possibly corneal ulceration.

Ensuring Your Eyes are Getting Enough Oxygen

The only people who truly need to worry about their eyes not getting enough oxygen are those who wear contacts. Contacts are basically the only man-made object that will prevent the eyes from getting the oxygen they need to be healthy at all times. Your Miami eye doctor will tell you to do things like change your contacts as often as they should be swapped with new ones, to not wear them at night, and to ensure that you’re keeping your contacts clean with the proper solution. If you follow the directions on your contacts and do the things your eye doctor tells you to do, then you should not experience any problems in regards to your eyes and the amount of oxygen they are getting.

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