Our eyes are said to be the window to our soul. With every movement, we express feelings/ emotions, yet we do not realize just how fragile this part of our body is. Apart from damage caused by physical contact to our eyes, lack of care for our eyes could also result in permanent damage;

–          Poking at our eyes with sharp objects, dirty objects, dirty fingers etc.

–          Prolonged rubbing and scratching

–          Over use of medications (eye drops)

–          Staring for too long at the computer / TV screens

–          Not wearing proper protection (goggle) when handling chemicals or in a place with airborne particles.

–          Not wearing proper protection (sunglasses that have UVA and UVB reflective protection) when entering the sun.

–          Not attending to eye problems / aches as soon as noticed.

–          Wearing our contact lenses for long and wearing them to bed.

–          Wearing makeup to bed, this could irritate the eyes.

–          Reading in dim light.

TIPS FOR EYE CARE INCLUDE

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
• To avoid puffiness on your eyelids, instead of rubbing and scratching, press cold cucumber slices gently against eyelids 10minutes before going to sleep at night.
• Always wash/wipe off makeup before going to bed.
• Always see an eye care specialists or a medical personnel when you feel any discomfort, do not self-medicate.
• Always read the labels on eye drops carefully before applying them. Not all eye drops can be used with contact lenses.
• Allergen –reducing eye drops should be used sparingly
• Do not read in dim light
• Do not look at bright light directly
• Do not poke or scratch your eyes with any object, you could remove some surface tissue on the cornea or conjunctiva of the eyeball. There is a risk of bacterial or fungal contamination and infection following an eye abrasion.
• Avoid wearing contact lenses for more than 19 hours; as this can cause permanent sight damage as well as extreme discomfort to your eyes
• Wash your hands before handling your contact lens.
• Do not wear glasses for too long especially 3D glasses.
• Never sleep with your contact lenses on unless specifically instructed to do so or swim with your contact lenses on unless you are wearing a goggle.
• Wear UV protective sunglasses not just darker lenses as these do not stop UV rays.
• It is important to shield children from harmful rays by wearing them hats and protective glasses when they are out in the sunlight for prolonged periods, because damage to the eyes from UV rays builds up over a lifetime
• Try not to spend so much time looking at your computer/ TV screen and make a conscious effort to blink every 30 seconds to combat dryness.
• Wear goggles or other protective eye wear when working with chemicals or in a place with harmful airborne particles.

To prevent slow degradation of the eyes, it is essential to consume certain nutritional and dietary supplements for eye health, they include;

Vitamin A, Lutein, Beta Carotene, Vitamin C, Selenium, Chromium, Zinc, Copper, Acai Berry, Manganese.

REFERENCES

1. http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-Your-Eyes
2. http://www.medicinenet.com/eye_care/page4.htm#what_common_eye_conditions_usually_require_treatment_by_a_doctor
3. http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/supplements-for-eye-health/2011/03/09/id/370661

  MEGACARE…… A HEALTHIER YOU