5 Practical Tips For Good Eye Health

Eyes form the base of our existence. Proper eyesight allows you to see and observe everything that exists around the world. So, you must invest time in taking good care of your eyes and maintain a good vision. Having poor eyesight can impact your quality of life and lead to multiple eye-related issues.

Before detailing the five practical tips for maintenance of  good eyesight, here are some common day-to-day symptoms that may indicate problems that lead to poor vision.

Common eye symptoms associated with poor vision

1. Eyestrain

This is a common eye problem for those individuals who either sit for long in front of the desktop/laptop or read a lot. Continuous reading or exposure to blue screen often strains out your eyes and they need a rest. 

So, if your eyes feel tired or strained out, better keep your book or gadgets aside and take a little time off. If the issue persists for long, get in touch with your doctor for treatment. 

2. Persistent itching or watering of the eyes 

If you are experiencing persistent itching in your eyes or there’s constant watering, better consult your doctor. Constant itching and irritation in the eyes likely occurs due to an allergy to pollen, dust, fumes or other chemicals in the environment as in smoke from cooking with firewood or motor vehicle exhaust. Though it doesn’t lead to vision loss, it can still make your eyes feel tired and irritated. 

Consulting your eye doctor will help you determine the real cause of your eye discomfort and take the right treatment and preventive steps. 

3. Night blindness

If you are among those individuals who often trip in the dark or struggle with driving during night hours, you might be suffering from night blindness. Persistent lack of vitamin A in your body or cataracts are some common causes that lead to night blindness. So, if you do suffer from it, tread your steps carefully especially in low-light areas and consult with your doctor as soon as possible.

4. Dry eyes

This occurs when your eyes fail to make good-quality tears. People who suffer from this problem often experience a weird burning, gritty and dry sensation in their eyes. The severity of the issue can also lead to temporary loss of vision. Depending on the cause, medical practitioners recommend undergoing the following treatments in case you experience extreme dryness: 

Home remedy:

• Use a humidifier in your house

• Apply warm compress to the upper and lower eyelids and massage the eye lashes with rolling motion of a clean finger..

• Regularly apply sterile saline or any other specialised eye drops as prescribed by your doctor.

Medical treatment

• Use of antibiotics eye drops as prescribed by your doctor

• Use of steroids and or cyclosporine eye drops as prescribed by your doctor. These eye medications fight inflammation and immune responses respectively in the eye

• Undergoing thermal pulsation treatment to the eyelids to open up specialised hair follicle that may be blocked as a result of dysfunction.

5. Contact lenses

If you are among those individuals who use contact lenses to see well, you must take good care of them. Alongside following the guidelines that come with your prescription, follow these pointers: 

• Avoid putting your lenses in your mouth as it can lead to an eye infection 

• Only prefer eye drops that are deemed safe for contact lenses 

• Check the size of your lenses carefully to avoid damaging your eyes 

5 Practical tips for good eye health

Eyes are an integral part of our body, and the following tips are essential for the maintenance of good eye health:

1. Minimise your screen time

Constant exposure to smartphone or laptop screen makes your eyes feel tired and irritated. So, to protect your eyes, you must limit your screen time. You can also try the following protective measures:

• Use glasses or screen filters to minimize radiation

• Ensure that your laptop screen is at eye level to avoid neck pain  

• Inculcate the habit of blinking your eyes regularly to avoid dryness

• Follow the “20-20-20” rules (i,e., for every twenty minutes spent looking at a digital screen, look away at something that is 20 feet away for a total of 20 seconds).

• Take a 10-15 minutes break after every 2 hours of sitting.

2. Follow a Balanced Diet

Your diet must have the right balance of vitamins A, C, E, and omega-3 fatty acids to keep your eyes healthy and avoid age-related vision problems like cataracts.

To obtain the essential nutrients, you can include the following items in your daily menu:

• Green leafy vegetables like spinach 

• Fish containing omega-3 fatty acids

• Citrus fruits like oranges or lemons are good for the eyes 

• Include protein in your diet plan. Eggs or beans are good sources of protein.

The right nutrients also keep your weight in control and prevent you from getting obese or suffering from type 2 diabetes often leading to blindness in adults.

3. Use sunglasses whenever you step out 

You must have your sunglasses with you whenever you step out of your house. When worn, it helps to protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Exposing your eyes to extreme UV rays can result in multiple eye problems like cornea thinning, tissue growth across the cornea (a condition known as :”pterygium”), cataract or macular degeneration. So, your shades must block nearly 70% of visible light to reduce UV radiation slipping around the side of your glasses.

Tip: You can also rely on umbrellas or hats with a wide-brim to safeguard your eyes from the UV rays.

4. Quit Smoking 

Smoking leads to a variety of health issues within your body and this includes your eyes. Smoking may cause damage to your optic nerve and subsequently, affects your vision. So, you must quit smoking to not only maintain your eyesight for years but also reduce the probability of suffering from multiple smoking related eye problems.

5. Regularly Get Your Eyes Tested 

Apart from other protective measures, you must get your eyes tested by a trusted doctor every 2 -3 years. 

Regular eye checkups help you maintain a good vision and allows your doctor to spot any eye-related issues in the early stages and accordingly advise you on the right treatment.

The Bottom Line

Eyes are one of the most important parts of our body, yet we overlook them while caring for our health. We hope the common sense tips shared here will help you maintain good eye health always. 

If you still have some questions about your eye health, post them here or consult with your eyecare professional. 

Related:

Slideshow: Priority eye diseases in Africa

Published: Nov. 9, 2019

© 2019. Datelinehealth Africa Inc. All rights reserved.