Why Oklahomans Might Not Be Seeing Clearly – Literally

After an interesting appointment at the eye doctor, my eyes were opened to a daunting side effect of both becoming actual adult and possibly from living in Oklahoma.

Turns out there might be a legitimate reason for all of the terrible driving on the roads and questionable choices you might see some of us make. And it all has to with how well we see - or how not-so-great that our eyesight is, rather.

Hopefully this inspires the younger generation to take better care of their eyesight in their earlier years and for older adults to check in on their own eye health.

The appointment that opened my eyes to Oklahoma's Vision Loss Crisis.

I've had this sort of growth on the inner corner of my eye for quite some time, months even. At first, I didn't think anything of it. But over time, it grew and my eyesight began to get a little more blurred. Finally, I bit the bullet and visited the eye doctor for the first time in over a decade.

I described what I was experiencing, but he could tell right off of the bat what it was on my eye. "It's a thing called a 'pinguecula,'" I remember him saying. "It's like a callous on the outer portion of the eye."

Although pingueculas are supposedly fairly common, what came as a shock for my doctor was the progression of my pinguicula at my age. "If you get the surgery now, you'd definitely be the youngest client I've had to have one."

@dr.alexahecht #stitch with @Lauren Kawano #greenscreensticker explaining a pinguecula! #pinguecula #eyedoctor #optometrist #uvdamage ♬ original sound - Alexa | Eye Doctor

After he explained how they usually develop and why they're much more common in older individuals, I realized that I hadn't done anything to prevent this from happening - mainly because I had no idea that I should've been doing anything. Then, it made me wonder - what other things should I be doing to prevent other eye damage?

Because, believe it or not, Oklahomans are experiencing some of the highest rates of visual acuity loss in the country. And there are things to slow this process down, we just aren't doing them enough.

Hundreds of Oklahomans face difficulty with seeing clearly, studys show.

Oklahoma is actually one of the top ten states in the country for the highest rates of visual acuity loss, according to the CDC Visual and Eye Health Surveillance System. As of May 2024, Oklahoma was reported to have a 2.95% prevalence rate throughout the state, making us the sixth most prevalent state in the country.

When you lose visual acuity, you can't see clearly. Likely, your vision is blurred, you may have difficulty driving or seeing at night, and you may even experience frequent headaches, according to the Duns Eye Consultants.

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Although research shows visual acuity loss is more prevalent in older adults, it obviously doesn't rule out the possibility of young adults developing eye damage - I'll use myself as a prime example. So how can you help your eyes stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible?

Take care of your eyes and your eyes will take care of you.

Oklahoma is one of the brightest states in the country - no seriously. Oklahoma is listed as one of the "Sunniest States in America," with a 68% annual sunlight percentage, according to worldpopulationreview.com. We actually rank as the 7th sunniest state in the country.

Can you guess what causes a pinguecula? Turns out, they form after "long-time exposure to the elements, especially sunlight," according to professionals from the Cleveland Clinic. So, lesson #1 is protect yourself from sunlight. Wear the sunglasses. Obviously, don't stare into the sun.

Eye health doesn't just depend on your eyes. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Something even scarier to consider is the fact that as many as one in four working age adults have Type 2 diabetes and have no clue.

So, take care of your body. Check with your doctor to test for things like diabetes early-on. And don't take the small things for granted.