Eye problems have existed since the beginning of time, and in the modern-day, they are more frequent than ever because travel is far easier now than it was in the past, as well as because of sexual freedom. However, modern medicine is far more evolved today than it was in the past, so people are far more aware of illness and their causes today. Some diseases are still a mystery to many people though, so today, I will shed some light on some of these diseases that are less well-known, and which commonly cause blindness in humans.
COVID-19
COVID-19 is the new monster impacting all of our lives around the world. Since COVID-19 is rapidly mutating and evolving, we can barely keep up with all the new developments that have come out about it. One newer development that has been discovered is blindness, though it is often temporary and not permanent.
Viruses and colds can commonly create headaches since they can enter through the eyes going directly into the brain. When a virus gets into the eyes, it can cause everything from dizziness, vision swimming, to blindness, especially if you have the virus for a long period of time.
“Although conjunctivitis, which is a temporary condition, has been linked to COVID-19, at this point permanent eye damage from COVID-19 has not been reported. If a patient were in respiratory distress long enough, theoretically poor perfusion and oxygen deprivation could lead to possible damage to metabolically active tissues, such as the optic nerve or retina” (“Ask The Expert: How COVID-19 Affects The Eyes”, USC Roski Eye Institute).
Modern medicine today makes conjunctivitis perfectly treatable, but in other countries where medicine is much harder to come by, conjunctivitis can be left to fester and cause damage to the eye that can lead to permanent vision loss. In general, when any bacteria gets into the eye and is left there for too long, it can cause permanent eye damage, which of course can lead to vision loss, so this can be applied to any parasite or bacteria, not just conjunctivitis.
Food Poisoning/Toxoplasmosis
Food poisoning is pretty common. Since many people like to eat out in the United States instead of spending hours cooking at home in the kitchen, food poisoning has become a normal part of life, though most people do not often connect their sicknesses to the food that they ate. Many different bacteria and parasites can cause food poisoning, but toxoplasmosis in particular is caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause damage to the eyes, eye pain, blurry vision, and even permanent blindness.
Water-Borne Illness/Onchocerciasis AKA River Blindness
Contaminated water can make us deathly ill, and if it gets into our eyes, it can cause headaches, fevers, blurry vision, cataracts, eye floaters, eye pain, vision loss, and even temporary and permanent blindness.
Like food-borne illnesses, water-borne illnesses can be caused by a wide range of bacteria, parasites, and amoeba, but the parasite that causes onchocerciasis, known as Onchocerca Volvulus, can be found in polluted rivers where it breeds and reproduces; this is where the name “river blindness” comes from.
Water-Borne Illness/Zika Virus
Zika virus is probably the disease on this list that you are all the least familiar with. “Zika virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family, genus Flavivirus. Zika virus is transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). The mosquito vectors typically breed in domestic water-holding containers…(Zika Virus can also occur in) Perinatal, in utero, and possible sexual and transfusion transmission events have also been reported” (“Zika Virus”, CDC).
Like onchocerciasis, zika virus is also spread by contaminated water because mosquitoes breed and lay their eggs in water, so if this contaminated water gets into the eyes, it can cause everything from eye pain, redness, swelling, mucus discharge, vision loss, to temporary and permanent blindness.
Herpes
Most of you are likely familiar with herpes since it is one of the most common STDs. Symptoms of STDs are more well-known, but one thing that is less well-known is the fact that herpes can cause blindness. Herpes can occur on various parts of the body, including the eyes, sexual organs (both back and front), elbows, mouth (oral herpes), and even on the knees and buttocks.
If you scratch the herpes rash and then touch your face or eyes, you can transfer it there. When herpes gets into your eyes, it can cause pain and itchiness. If you scratch your eyes because of herpes, you can cut your eyes, damage them, and even experience vision loss, light sensitivity, or blindness. Even without scratching your eyes, having bacteria in your eyes can cause these kinds of eye problems. Furthermore, bacteria can eat away at the optic nerve or the retina in the eye, so keeping the eyes clean and untouched will greatly impact your quality of life, and give you more long-term health.
HIV
STDs are pretty dreadful, and I am sorry to bring up another one in front of you all today, but it is important that you learn about this one as well. If you are familiar with HIV, HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus; as the name implies, HIV causes the human body to attack itself as if it were a foreign invader. People with HIV, like those with COVID-19, experience flu-like symptoms, but despite that HIV is considered a virus, parasites have been found in people with HIV, so there is also a connection between parasites, particularly in the stomach, and the development of HIV.
“Cryptosporidium parvum and Isospora belli are the two most common intestinal protozoan parasites and pose a public health problem in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. These are the only two enteric protozoan parasites that remain in the case definition of AIDS till today. Leismaniasis, strongyloidiasis, and toxoplasmosis are the three main opportunistic causes of systemic involvements reported in HIV-infected patients. Of these, toxoplasmosis is the most important parasitic infection associated with the central nervous system” (Nissapatorn, V., & Sawangjaroen, N. (2011). Parasitic infections in HIV infected individuals: diagnostic & therapeutic challenges. The Indian journal of medical research, 134(6), 878–897. https://doi.org/10.4103/0971-5916.92633).
When HIV is treated quickly and not allowed to develop for too long, blindness can be avoided, but if someone has had HIV for a long time and did not show symptoms so it went undiscovered, then blindness can occur.
“If undiagnosed and untreated for a long time, HIV infection can trigger off a dormant virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV), which can lead to blindness. Cytomegalovirus is the most common cause of blindness in people who have HIV” (“AIDS can lead to blindness”, 2012, Khopotso Bodibe, Health-E News).
Due to the similar symptoms in those with HIV and COVID-19, I would not be surprised if people with HIV are being misdiagnosed with COVID-19. This is an unfortunate downside to the sexual revolution, but since HIV and COVID-19 are so similar, perhaps the same medicines used to fight COVID-19 will also help to relieve HIV symptoms; this would be a great accomplishment for modern science if this happened!
Conclusion/Final Thoughts
Blindness and vision loss are some of the most common burdens and health problems that modern people suffer from today. Our lifestyle contributes to the commonality of blindness and vision problems, as well as more contaminated food and soil caused by industrialization. Despite this though, understanding what causes blindness can help you protect your eyes and give you better long-term health! So take this article and share it with others so that we can all go towards a future of health and wellness together!
I hope you all continue to be safe and I will never stop praying for the world to be free of the modern-day monster known as COVID-19!
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