Is working from home resulting in long hours of screen time? Are you straining your eyes too much? Do you feel your eyes are getting dry?
While not all eye diseases can be prevented, there are some simple steps that you can take to help your eyes remain healthy and reduce your chances of developing visual impairment in the future.
Let us see how you can take care of your eyes:
1. Wear Sunglasses
UV (ultraviolet) blocking sunglasses delay the development of cataracts since direct sunlight hastens their formation. Sunglasses prevent retinal damage and they also protect the delicate eyelid skin from getting, both wrinkles and skin cancer around the eye.
2. Eat The Right Food
Vitamin deficiency can impair retinal function. The belief that eating carrots improves vision has some truth to it, but a variety of vegetables, especially leafy green ones, should be an important part of your diet as well.
3. Quit Smoking
Tobacco smoking is directly linked to many adverse health effects, including age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).
Studies show that current smokers and ex-smokers are more likely to develop AMD than people who have never smoked. Smokers are also at increased risk for developing cataracts.
4. Baseline Your Eye Examination
Adults with no signs or risk factors for eye disease should get a baseline eye examination done at the age of 40, when early signs of disease and changes in vision may begin.
Based on the results of the initial screening, an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) will prescribe the necessary intervals for your follow-up exams.
5. Use Eye Protection
It is important to wear proper eye protection to prevent eye injuries during sports such as hockey and cricket and even during home projects like repairs, gardening, and cleaning.
Sports eye protection should meet the specific requirements of that sport, which are usually established and certified by the sport's governing body. For most repair projects and activities around the home, standard approved protective eyewear will be sufficient.
6. Know Your Family History
Many eye diseases cluster in families, so you need to be aware of your family's history of eye disease.
Having a family history of eye disease can increase your risk of retinitis pigmentosa (breakdown and loss of cells in the retina), high myopia (nearsightedness), age-related eye diseases, including cataracts, diabetic retinopathy (damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye due to diabetes), glaucoma (damage to the optic nerve) and ARMD.
7. Avoid Straining Your Eyes
If your work involves a long screen time, you can follow the 20-20-20 rule: Look up from your screen every 20 minutes at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
8. Give Importance to Early Intervention
Most serious eye conditions, such as glaucoma and AMD, are more easily and successfully treated if diagnosed early. Left untreated, these diseases can cause serious vision loss and blindness. Early intervention now will prevent vision loss later.
9. Know Your Doctor
When you go to get your eyes checked, there are a variety of eye care providers you might come across. Ophthalmologists,
optometrists, and opticians all play an important role in providing eye care services to consumers.
Ophthalmologists are highly trained professionals who can help you, from prescribing glasses and contact lenses to performing complex and delicate eye surgery. An optometrist is a specialized health care professional who examines the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. An optician is a qualified person who dispenses glasses and contact lenses.
