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How To Take Care Of Your Eyes?

Eyes, although one of the essential organs in the body, is often neglected in the human body. Unfortunately, we have no beauty enhancement treatment or spas to rejuvenate or improve our eyesight. Therefore, it is purely up to us to maintain good eye health.

Ironical, isn’t it that eyes are very important, yet we abuse our privilege of vision?

Here are Seven Effective Ways of Taking Care of Your Eyes:

1) Take Frequent Breaks From the Screens

Thanks to the technological era that we live in, people spend endless hours in front of monitors, TVs and cell phones. The constant exposure to screens, be it the laptop, smartphones, tabs or television, etc., leads to unnecessary strain on our eyes. It is best to take frequent breaks when reading or working on a computer screen. One must look away and focus on objects in the distance for good eye health.

2) Use Eye drops

Staring at screens for too long results it strained dry eyes. The best way to overcome this problem is to use a hydrating eye drop to cool, hydrate and nourish the eyes. Just as one shoe doesn’t fit all, one eye drop isn’t useful for everyone, so consult your ophthalmologist before you squirt anything in your eyes in the hope that it’s doing you good. Also, always check the expiry date of products before using them.

3) Get Regular Eye Check-ups

It is advised that you get an eye check-up at least once in six months. Eye strain, dry eyes, and other similar disorders can lead to severe ailments if they aren’t cured on time.   Consult your doctor once in six months or if any of the following symptoms persist:

– irritation of the eye/eyes

– foreign body sensation in the eye

– stringy discharge

– eye fatigue

– heavy eyelids

– red eyes

– discomfort on wearing contact lenses

– shorter bearable spans of reading, working on computers, etc

Also Read: Misdiagnosed Eye Conditions: Is it Pink Eye or Something Else?

4) Proper Care of Contact Lenses

People who wear contact lenses have to take extra care of their eyes. Precaution needs to be taken while wearing and removing contact lenses, while applying or removing make-up, spraying deodorants, to name a few. Try not wearing the lenses for too long and avoid any contact with dust and foreign particles as it may lead to infection.

Cataract, glaucoma and refractive errors are very common eye health problems which are a cause of vision impairment and a frequent cause of visit to an ophthalmologist. No symptoms of eye disease should be neglected.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.

5) Use of Anti-glare Glasses

The UV rays of the sun cause considerable damage to eyesight. Also, the bright harsh light entering the eye for prolonged lengths of time can harm the cornea. Sunglasses also protect the eyes from dry air and dust particles. Plus, it adds to your coolness quotient, so why not?

6) Consumption of a Balanced Diet

Our eyes need to be cared for both externally as well as internally. Intake of a diet containing all the essential nutrients in proper quantities is important for maintaining optimum optic health. While eye problems associated with old age such as cataracts and glaucoma cannot be eliminated completely, taking adequate quantities of nutrients such as zinc, Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin C and vitamin E help reduce the chances of old age-related vision problems. Green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale and sources of protein such as chicken and soybean are superfoods that maintain healthy eyesight. A balanced diet also ensures a healthy body weight which is essential for keeping obesity at bay. Obesity is a common cause of Type 2 diabetes which is often responsible for rendering patients blind.  

Digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome is very common nowadays due to increased screen time. 20-20-20 rule, every 20 minutes, an individual should take the eye off from the screen for about 20 seconds and look at a distant object (situated at 20 feet away) should always be followed with good ergonomics.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

7) Give Up Smoking

Smoking cigarettes is a leading cause of eyesight problems such as Macular Degeneration and Cataracts. The toxins inhaled while smoking are extremely detrimental to optic health. To let the optic nerves function efficiently, it is absolutely essential to give up smoking as it causes damage to it.

Must Read: 10 Best Foods For Eye Health  

Disclaimer:  The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.

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Importance of Eyes & Why We Should Take Care Of It

There has been a drastic rise in the number of people suffering from vision impairments and eye problems due to digitalisation and extreme working hours. This number is not restricted to the adult population but many kids and teenagers are also increasingly getting issues pertaining to vision.

In this health blog, we would understand all about eye care and health from Dr Leena Doshi, a leading ophthalmologist who specialises in cataract and LASIK. She is among the panel of doctors in ONGC and is also a medical officer for class I and II eye examinations for pilots. Dr Leena Doshi is an active participant in various live TV shows and eye health forums. She is also a part of the telemedicine team in Nanavati Super-speciality Hospital.

There has been an increasing awareness about eye health and healthy vision in recent times. We have become more health-conscious and don’t want to feel crippled by spectacles and eye impairments.

”Majority of the concerns I deal with are pertaining to symptoms related to digital eye strain that has gone up in recent times.”

Digital Eye Strain and Computer Vision Syndrome

In today’s active work life, digitalisation has become inevitable and so has the stress on the eyes and vision. We are constantly exposed to digital gadgets and laptops on a daily basis. With even education going digital, your kids are now prone to eye impairments and vision disabilities. Thus, there has been a growth in the number of kids requiring optical assistance for their eyes as well. In order to prevent such complications at such an early stage, you need to ensure that your kids are regularly taken to an eye doctor and their eye health is constantly monitored.

”Taking a child to the eye doctor doesn’t necessarily mean he/she will get glasses. This is something all parents must clearly understand”.

The growing stress to the eyes due to excessive and prolonged exposure to laptop, tablets, mobile and computer screens leads to a condition called digital eye strain and it further complicates the computer vision syndrome. The vision syndrome occurs due to repeated back and forth movement of your retina on the screen which requires constant focusing and refocusing. Your eyes tend to become hypersensitive to changing images and fonts that tend to exhaust your eye muscles.

”The number of hours people are putting into looking at screens has drastically gone up in the recent times”.
Incidence of Vision Impairments and Doctor Visits

While anyone who is exposed to digital devices is prone to vision-related issues and must keep a regular check on their eye health, if you have a history of glaucoma, diabetes  and high blood pressure, you need to have a constant check on your overall eye health. This is especially true if you or anyone in your family has a history of diabetes. Diabetes tends to pose an array of serious eye-related complications like diabetes retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Inform your doctor if you have any history of allergy to medicines (if experienced in the past).

”If vision impairment runs in the family, it could mean an early onset for you and hence you need to be regularly checked.”
General Tips to Keep Your Eyes Healthy-

To keep the eyes healthy, it is advised to follow the following tips:

Eat at least 5 servings daily of fruits and vegetables, don’t smoke, take regular breaks while doing computer work and other tasks that mostly involve your eyes, wear your glasses, wear sunglasses when outdoors that protect your eyes from UVA and UVB rays.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

Read more on Eye Health Tips

Healthy Nutrition for Healthy Vision

Your eyes demand strong nutrition as well and correct oral health is rudiment to maintain a healthy vision.

”Just because some diet worked for someone doesn’t mean it will work for you.”

Tips for eating right for your eyes:

Age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy are very commonly diagnosed conditions in patients visiting an Ophthalmologist, identifying and reporting the symptoms like vision changes, painful eyes, and redness of the eyes is important for an early diagnosis.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.

Also Read: 10  Best Foods For Eye Health

”Overall nutrition something which is really important for everyone”

In Conclusion

Vision has both quantitative and qualitative parameters. While reading a chart is the quantitative part and reading it fully with ease is qualitative and defines how good your vision is. Visiting an eye doctor, visiting an optician and getting your vision checked are two different things. One must not confine to just checking the vision and must get a full report of the overall eye health.

Also Read: Misdiagnosed Eye Conditions: Is it Pink Eye or Something Else?

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.

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