Out of all our senses, we depend on our eyesight the most. It plays a very crucial role in our lives and the entire world is moving towards a plateau where we are becoming more and more dependent on this sense more than others. Especially in today’s technological world, we have things that require us to use our eyes more than other senses like smartphones, TVs, laptops, tablets, and other devices. But the more we become dependent on our eyesight, the more we are neglecting to take care of them. Poor eyesight can cause a lot of problems in various facets of our lives, whether it is our work life, social life, or our personal life.
These problems can lead to a host of unwanted situations like partial or complete blindness and that can lead up to expensive and invasive surgeries. But don’t be afraid. There are a host of solutions for you that will enable you to keep your eyes healthy and sharp so that you can enjoy your life and see all the beauty that it has to offer. These solutions include everything like eating right, exercising, sunglasses, health fund glasses and everything in between.
Getting a regular checkup is mandatory for everyone, but especially for people whose work or any other facet of their lives depends on staring at screens for a longer period of time. Read on to find out how you can cancel the negative effects of the screen and make sure that your eyes stay healthy and away from harm.
Take Vitamins and Minerals
The eyes are organs just like every other organ in your body. And just like every organ needs nourishment and energy, the eyes need the same thing. There are various vitamins, minerals and other nutritions that you can take to maintain your eyes’ health. These include Vitamin A, C, and E and minerals that include zinc that contains antioxidants. These antioxidants can help your eyes fight off degeneration. You can either take supplements for these vitamins and minerals or you can increase the amount of foods that you eat that contain these vitamins and minerals like:
- red peppers
- spinach
- carrots
- broccoli
- sweet potato
- strawberries
- Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and flaxseed, are also recommended for better eye health.
- citrus
Don’t Forget The Carotenoids
The above-mentioned minerals and vitamins are not the only things that you have to take if you want your eyesight to last a long time. There are also nutrients that are called carotenoids that are essential for keeping your eyes healthy and fit. Carotenoids include lutein and zeaxanthin that are found in the retina. These carotenoids can easily be found in leafy green vegetables, eggs, broccoli, and zucchini among other things. If you are like most people and you don’t like broccoli or any other thing or you have a medical condition that stops you from taking any of these things, you can also go for supplements that contain these carotenoids. These carotenoids help you by protecting your eyes from the ultraviolet light and the blue light that is mainly associated with the screen. Not only do these elements absorb the ultraviolet light and the blue light, but they also enhance the pigment density in your macula.
Stay Fit
When we say ‘stay fit’, we are not just talking about exercising your eyes, but we are talking about your entire body. You might not know this but if you exercise regularly and maintain your weight to a healthy standard, you not only control your waistline but you also help your eyes. Maybe you know this or maybe you don’t, but Type 2 diabetes that affects people who are obese or overweight can damage the blood vessels that are tasked with bringing fresh blood to your eyes. This condition is called ‘Diabetic Retinopathy’. The walls of the arteries going to the eyes get damaged when there is too much sugar in the bloodstream. When the walls are damaged, it causes them to leak a tiny amount of blood and other fluids into your eyes that can hurt them and damage your vision.
Manage Chronic Conditions
If you thought that diabetes is the only disease that can damage your eyes and negatively affect your vision, you were wrong. There are other diseases and adverse conditions that can hurt your eyes as well. These are high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and others. Patients who suffer from such conditions suffer chronic inflammation all over their bodies that can harm your health from top to bottom. If the inflammation is of the optic nerve, it can cause pain in some cases and in some cases, it can actually cause complete blindness. These diseases can be managed with the right medication and healthy eating and living habits so that they have the least amount off effects on you.
Wear Protective Eyewear
Do you wear a helmet when you drive your bike? Or wear protective glasses when you work? Well, you should. You need to protect your eyes no matter where you are, whether you are playing tennis, golf, badminton, or whether you are working in your garage, at a construction site or even if you are doing an experiment in your school science lab. Always make sure that you have something to protect your eyes whenever you are in a situation where there is a chance that your eyes could get hurt. There are chemicals, sharp objects, and other materials like glass, wood shavings, and others that can hurt your eyes irreparably.
Wear Sunglasses
Metal shards and heavy opponents are not the only thing that you should protect your eyes from. You also need to protect them from the ultraviolet light that is emitted from the sun. Remember that sunglasses are not only to make you look cool, but they also serve a purpose. And that is to protect your eyes from the UVA and UVB lights that come from sunlight. Another thing that you can use is a wide-brimmed hat to keep your eyes safe.
Follow The 20-20-20 Rule
We talked about overall exercise, now let’s talk about eye exercise. The strain that our eyes come under when we are working can be too much. That is why you shouldn’t work on a screen for a long time period. Make sure that you follow the 20-20-20 rule. This means that after every 20 minutes of work, you need to get up and look at something at least 20 feet away for around 20 seconds.
CONCLUSION
There are a lot of conditions that can adversely affect your eyes, but if you keep the above points in mind and take care of your eyes by eating healthy, exercising and wearing protective gear then you can lower the chances of you developing such conditions and enjoy your vision for the rest of your life.