The human eye works harder than we credit it. From waking up till you finally call it a night, it is on duty daily, adjusting to light, focusing, processing faces, screens, colours, and movement. But even the sharpest eyes get tired. Too many late nights, endless scrolling, sunlight without shades, and unhealthy habits can quietly start to take their toll.

You know that moment when you find yourself stretching your arm just to read a text message, or squinting at the screen, that is your eyes waving a small red flag.

Across Nigeria, more than 24 million people are living with one visual problem or another, and roughly 1.1 million are completely blind, according to the World Health Organisation. What is worse? A good number of those cases could have been prevented if the signs had been caught early.

The tricky thing about eye problems is that they rarely make noise. Just a little itching here, squinting and watering there, and some little blurry vision when you are reading, a dull headache after work, or a strange glare around headlights at night. Maybe your eyes burn after a long day, or you have started blinking more just to focus. Most people brush these off as stress or tiredness, but that is the starting point.

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Your eyes are more connected to your body than you might think. They are tied to the brain, the heart, and your blood flow. High blood pressure, for instance, can mess with the small vessels in your eyes, slowly blurring your vision. Diabetes is another silent culprit; it can cause diabetic retinopathy, where excess sugar quietly damages the retina until it is too late.

Then there is the life we live. Many of us stare at screens from dawn till midnight. We squint, strain, and soak in blue light for hours without blinking. Add dust, harsh sun, and random eye drops from the pharmacy, expired eye drops, and the problem only gets worse.

Listen when your eyes speak

We all do it a lot, especially young people; we scroll endlessly, binge-watching, working under bad lighting, until our eyes start begging for mercy. “Digital eye strain” is now so common that it is practically the new back pain. The symptoms sneak up: dry eyes, blurred vision, constant headache, still, most people just shrug it off and keep going.

A regular eye check is not a luxury, but it is a necessity. Experts recommend getting your eyes tested at least once every two years, or more frequently if you have health conditions like diabetes or hypertension. Simple habits such as wearing sunglasses outdoors, using proper lighting when reading, reducing screen glare, and eating foods rich in vitamin A can make a world of difference.

The eyes tell the truth about your health. When something inside your body is off, your eyes often show it first. That is why brushing off vision changes or buying over-the-counter eye drops is a dangerous game. It is not always fatigue. It is not always light; sometimes, it is your body whispering for you to go see a doctor before it is too late.

Cynthia Nwanonyiri