Our lives are somehow different from our ancestors. They had a different set of routines, goals, lifestyles, and challenges. Most of their work was laborious, physical, and required strength. Whereas we are moving towards times where physical strength is not much needed, and everything is getting digital. The tasks and chores we used to do manually or physically can be done through smartphones or PC, whether buying groceries or connecting with people.
Similarly, our habits and lifestyles are also changing with such transformations, like we observe a lot of eating disorders, not eating right, lesser physical activity or no exercise, too much strain on eyes due to over screen exposure, and many more. Such adverse changes usually lead to bad physical health, fast aging, low mental health, and overall lower satisfaction and quality of life.
Amid these bigger miss-outs and issues, we tend to ignore some matters that can become crucial if they are not taken care of early. One of them is our sight sense and eye care. As discussed already, we are more exposed to computer screens and smartphones than previously, and such exposure can lead to damages and deterioration of our eyes. Researches have shown that our screens contain blue light, which is terrible for our eye health, and it is just one unfortunate aspect of it. Therefore, it is necessary to take this matter seriously and consider eye health as important as our physical health, and take actions like regular eye checkups, eat healthily, and use protective eyewear in sunlight.
Let’s ponder some light on ways to protect our eyes from damage and overexposure.
- Use Goggles While Swimming:
Swimming is one of the great exercises for improving physical health, but it can be problematic for eye care. Usually, chlorine is used in swimming pools to protect you from germs, but it can be dangerous for your corneal epithelium. Therefore, one should invest in quality goggles that can prevent the eyes from such harmful chlorine exposure while swimming.
- Regular Hand Washes and No Eye Rubbing:
Any Medical Professional cannot stop telling the effectiveness of a mere activity called Hand-Washing. In the world of pandemics and dangerous viruses, regular hand washing proves to be more effective than advanced medical procedures. In the context of eye care, frequent hand washing is also essential, as it protects our eyes from disorders or diseases that are communicable like conjunctivitis. You can develop conjunctivitis when touching something that someone else has felt after rubbing their eyes. In this way, you get the bacteria or germ of their eye into your eye.
As it implied already, too much rubbing of eyes can also affect its physical structure and contaminate others. Therefore, it is recommended usually by opticians to always wash hands before and after rubbing your eyes casually or while applying contact lenses.
- Use Sunglasses with UV Protection:
We all know that Ultraviolet Radiations (UVR) is not suitable for our overall exposure. Therefore we make efforts to keep our skin protected by using sunblock and other skincare products. Similarly, our eyes are also vulnerable to UVR through sunlight. And they need proper protection too. UVR also comes from sunlight reflection through water or sand surfaces. Consequently, it is suggestive to use sunglasses with adequate UVR protection. There are many choices of cool sunglasses with required protection available in the market with budget-friendly options too.
- Hats:
Although you can get enough exposure protection from UVR through sunglasses, there are still some gaps unprotected between eyelids and sunglasses. They are still enough to hamper your eye care, but you can eliminate it through a hat with a brim wide enough to cover that gap. And yes, a cool combo of a classy hat and a killer pair of sunglasses will play up your fashion game too.
- Healthy Diet and Hydration:
Whatever we eat and drink has the power to affect our looks and eyesight. There are fruits, vegetables, and natural foods that are beneficial for our vision and can prevent long term eyesight diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts. Therefore, it is important to add foods that are high in zinc, vitamin C, and E in our diets.
Similarly, body hydration has a lot to do with our eye vision and sight. Staying dehydrated for more extended hours, especially in summers, can affect the eyesight. Similarly, too much dehydration stops the body from producing tears, which leads to dry eye disease and other diseases. Also, body hydration provides the required fluid for your eyelids.
- Enough Sleep:
Like your body, your eyes also need rest to function correctly. Rest is vital for your eyes; otherwise, they will suffer from decreased cognition required basic visual tasks. Unrested eyes lead to dryness, which encourages dry rubbing. And we have already discussed above that excessive rubbing can cause diseases. Therefore, we should seek professional advice in case of such dry eye conditions. Although, it is suggested by medical professionals to have at least 8 hours of sleep and shut-eye to maintain overall mental and physical health.
Conclusion:
Although every sense and organ is essential in the human body, eyes have their significance. The majority of our daily menial tasks required sight sense. Our whole imagination world is set through the exposure of eyes to the mind. Any ailment or long term vision disease can significantly hamper the quality of life as one cannot enjoy the beautification of this world, which can lead to overall dissatisfaction in life.
Lastly, adequate eye care is also essential because medication and treatments related to eyes are not easy to bear and usually have lower chances of full recovery as you cannot get the same useful and sharp vision as it was previously. Therefore, it is better to take the route of prevention than getting into the complication of getting a cure.
