I look 10 years older after my whites of my eyes turned yellow...

A few days ago, when Tadpole was combing his receding hairline (one thousand strands of troublesome hair had fallen out), he suddenly noticed that the whites of his eyes had turned yellow... Oh no, is he going to mutate?

My eyes, which were once clear and bright, what on earth have they experienced? Is there some serious illness that I don’t know about?

When I was doubting myself, my colleague pointed out a "clear path" - it might be that I am getting old. (It's better to shut up)

As we age, our body functions decline, and our eyes become less bright than before, with the whites of our eyes gradually turning dark and cloudy. (Is this the so-called yellowing of the eyes as we age?)

Why do the whites of people’s eyes become less “white” as they age?

As you get older, it’s okay for your hairline to recede, but why are even the whites of your eyes becoming less white?

Let’s start with the structure of the eyeball.

Our eyeball is spherical, with a nearly circular, slightly convex cornea in front, and mostly milky white sclera surrounding it. The sclera is what we often call the white of the eye. It has a tough texture and is composed of tightly interconnected collagen fibers.

The front of the white of the eye is covered by the conjunctiva, a translucent, soft, smooth and elastic mucous membrane that lubricates and protects the eyeball and sclera.

The basic structure of the eyeball, picture source: Internet

In fact, eyes, like other organs of the body, also undergo an aging process.

As humans grow from childhood to old age, the various external stimuli that the eyes receive increase, such as the sun's ultraviolet rays, tiny floating particles in the air, etc., which will leave tiny scars and spots of pigmentation on the sclera and transparent conjunctival surface.

At the same time, as we age, yellow lipid substances will gradually accumulate on the sclera, and the more they accumulate in old age, the uneven yellowing of the whites of the eyes will appear over time. From the outside, it looks like the whites of the eyes are not as pure as when they were young, but become dark yellow and turbid.

Image source: Internet

In addition to age issues, there may be other reasons.

Consuming some foods rich in carotene and taking medicines containing yellow pigments, as well as working intensively or overusing the eyes, can also cause yellowing of the sclera. However, this situation will improve after stopping the relevant foods and medicines and getting enough rest, and the yellowing will gradually subside, so there is no need to worry too much.

Of course, abnormal color of the whites of the eyes is not only caused by aging and physiological factors, some diseases can also be reflected in the color of the eyes.

The most common cause of yellowing of the sclera is jaundice, a disease caused by abnormal bilirubin metabolism and increased bilirubin concentration in the body, which causes the skin and mucous membranes to be stained yellow. The sclera is especially common and the first to be stained yellow.

Jaundice is common in hepatobiliary and hemolytic diseases. Depending on the severity of the disease, it may change to lemon yellow, orange yellow, yellow-green, dark yellow, etc. In addition to yellowing of the whites of the eyes, these patients may also experience abdominal pain, itching, fever and other symptoms, and need to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Jaundice, yellow sclera

The whites of the eyes may also appear red or blue

In daily life, redness of the whites of the eyes is also quite common. Staying up late and drinking alcohol can cause the blood vessels in the conjunctiva to dilate, resulting in red bloodshot eyes.

Inflammation is also one of the main reasons for redness of the whites of the eyes. Infections such as scleritis and conjunctivitis cause congestion and edema of the eye's blood vessels, which are generally distributed radially, and are accompanied by symptoms such as purulent secretions, discomfort caused by foreign bodies in the eye, and eye pain.

In addition, people with hypertension, epilepsy, neurasthenia and heart failure may also have this symptom.

Reddening of the sclera

Blue sclera may be a sign of iron deficiency anemia. Iron is an important cofactor for amino acids in the process of collagen synthesis. Insufficient iron in the body can cause obstacles to the synthesis of scleral collagen fibers, resulting in thinning of the sclera, the choroid showing through, and the sclera taking on a blue color.

At the same time, blue sclerae are associated with hereditary osteogenesis imperfecta, hereditary connective tissue diseases, collagen diseases, steroid treatment and myasthenia gravis, but these diseases are less common.

The sclera turns blue. Image source: Internet

In addition, irregular blue-gray and black spots appear on the sclera, which is often seen in roundworm infection.

But no matter what color the whites of your eyes turn to, it is unhealthy and makes you look old.

Which one makes you look older?

Come on, protect the whites of your eyes with Tadpole-kun

In life, people often praise others for their "talking eyes". In fact, eyes are the "signal lights" of the body's condition. They can reflect the current health of the body, and the eyes themselves are also a very important organ of the human body.

Therefore, it is very important to protect your eyes in daily life.

To protect the whites of your eyes, you can pay attention to the following aspects:

1. Go to bed early and get up early, and have a regular work and rest schedule. A good sleep state helps the eyes recover and is very important for eye protection.

2. Control the time you use your eyes. If you use your eyes continuously for about an hour, you should take a 15-minute break. You can look out the window at the distant scenery, which can help adjust and relax the eye muscles.

3. Eat more green foods rich in vitamins. You can also apply a hot towel to your eyes before going to bed every night to speed up blood circulation around the eyes and nourish your eyes.

See? Even the whites of my eyes are telling you to work less overtime and pay attention to your diet.

Finally, let’s do a little survey. Take a quick look in the mirror and see if the whites of your eyes have turned yellow?

References

[1] Zhao Kanxing, Yang Peizeng. Ophthalmology (8th Edition)[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2013.

[2] Liu Liangdong. Blue sclera: a common sign of iron deficiency anemia[J]. Foreign Medicine. Blood Transfusion and Hematology, 1987(03):175.

[3] Youyan. Health from eye color[J]. Modern Health Preservation, 2013(09):66.

[4]Xu Mingyi. What are the conditions that lead to yellowing of the skin and eyes?[J]. Liver Doctor, 2013(04):14-16.

END

Review expert: Liu Dongbao, chief physician of ophthalmology, Shenyang Red Cross Hospital.

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Heart and Paper