The eyes are the most delicate and important organ of the body. Their care is extremely necessary or else you may end up having poor eyesight. Although, poor eyesight may happen due to medical conditions as well. With keeping a check on your medical condition, there are some things you can do to prevent your eyes from losing sight. 

Protective eyewear

Eye injuries may happen due to several reasons such as sports injuries or working in dangerous conditions that may end up impairing the eyes. You can take steps to protect the eyes such as wearing protective eyewear like:

  • Goggles
  • Safety glasses
  • Face shields
  • Helmets

Make sure to wear protective eyewear even if you wear glasses, as glasses are not a reliable protective shield and may even break in harsh conditions. 

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are not just for fashion purposes but also protect the eyes from harmful UV rays coming from the sun. If you go out more often and work outdoors, you need to wear sunglasses or else you might be at risk of:

  • Eye cancer
  • Cataracts
  • Macular degeneration

Wear sunglasses even if there is cloudy weather outside, this is because UV rays are not stopped by the clouds or cold climate. 

Regular eye exams

Visit an eye doctor regularly. Specialists recommend having eye exams every six months. This is because the eye specialist may find initial symptoms of any eye problem that is developing and may treat it beforehand. They may prescribe you discount medication for any eye problem which will treat the condition and improve your overall eye health. 

Screen breaks

Nowadays, most of the office work is done on computers. This constant exposure of screens to the eyes leads to poor eyesight. Make a rule of giving your eyes a rest every few minutes so your eyes don’t constantly see the screen. It is extremely important to limit screen exposure to kids as their eyes are more delicate and they may end up with poor eyesight. 

Managing chronic conditions

Many health conditions such as diabetes may affect eye health as well. Some medicines for other medical conditions may affect the eyes as a side-effect. Contact your doctor as soon as you notice any change in your eyesight if a new medicine is introduced in your routine. Also, take steps to manage your condition so your eyes don’t get much affected. 

Take Vitamins

According to health experts, vitamins A, C and E are good for the eyes. These vitamins have antioxidant properties which reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration. You can take vitamin supplements or take foods rich in these vitamins such as:

  • broccoli
  • oranges
  • sweet potato
  • Carrots
  • spinach
  • red peppers
  • peanut butter
  • almonds
  • Superfoods such as sunflower seeds

You can even take foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids as the omega-3 fats are very beneficial for brain and eye health. Foods rich in omega-3 include seafood such as tuna, salmon, mackerel etc.

  • Remember the 20-20-20 rule

An effective exercise recommended by eye specialists in the 20-20-20 exercise. This includes looking away at something 20 feet away after every 20 minutes for 20 seconds while you are watching a screen. This is a good exercise as your eyes get the rest they need from the screen now and then. 

  • Quitting smoking

It has been a well-established fact that smoking harms the body. Not only the lungs, but smoking also affects all organs of the body even the eyes. Medical experts have concluded there is even a link between smoking and deteriorating eye health. Smoking causes macular degeneration and cataracts. Tobacco in cigarettes causes drying of the eyes that further increases the risks of more eye problems. A regular smoker is even prone to develop diabetes and as a result, diabetic retinopathy which is the damage to the retina due to high blood sugar. So, quitting smoking is a good tip to reduce the risk of eye diseases. 

  •  Practice good hygiene

Practising good hygiene reduces the risks of developing eye infections and diseases. If you do not wash your hands regularly and by chance rub your eyes with dirty hands, you are at risk of an eye infection. So it is important to wash hands regularly. Wash your face whenever you come home from outside as there might be toxins and harmful substances on your face that might be in the air outside.

If you wear contact lenses, always wash your hands before placing the lenses in your eyes. This greatly reduces the chances of infections. Also, wash your makeup brushes after every few months as they may also transfer any bacteria on your face. 

  • Know your family history

Some medical conditions run in the family. This also applies to eye diseases. Some families have eye diseases running in their genes and so affect members across generations. It is a good idea to get regular checkups and get a medical family history as well. If you get to know about any eye conditions that run in your family, you may get yourself checked for it and may also start precautionary measures beforehand so you don’t develop the same condition as anyone in your family. Some common eye conditions that prevail across generations are:

  • cataracts
  • glaucoma
  • macular degeneration
  • myopia
  • optic neuropathies
  • Ayurveda tips to improve eyesight

Natural eye tonic: Make a tonic of natural sources such as almonds, fennel seeds and crystallize the sugar. Take about 250 g of each of these three ingredients and make a powder of them. Mix and take two teaspoons of this mixture in warm milk daily. You will see an improvement in your eyesight gradually.

Herbs: In Ayurveda, there are some herbs that are used for their several health benefits. Amla oil helps in enhancing eyesight when applied around the eyes. Take a teaspoon of powdered asparagus with warm milk daily. This makes an effective tonic for improving eyesight.

These tips do not carry an immediate effect but if you practise them regularly you will gradually see improvement in your eyesight and may also avoid wearing glasses altogether. 

 

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