#198 - Eye health—everything you need to know | Steven Dell, M.D.

The eye functions as a sophisticated camera, where the cornea and lens focus light onto the retina, a metabolically active tissue that converts photons into neural signals. Aging inevitably degrades this system, primarily through the hardening of the lens, which leads to presbyopia and eventually cataracts. While cataracts are a universal consequence of aging, they are effectively treated by replacing the clouded lens with an artificial intraocular lens, a procedure that can also correct refractive errors like nearsightedness and astigmatism. Beyond age-related changes, the eye serves as a critical window into systemic health, as its transparent nature allows for the direct observation of microvascular damage linked to metabolic diseases like diabetes. Maintaining long-term ocular health requires balancing UV protection with sufficient exposure to natural light to prevent myopia, particularly during childhood development.