It is essential to take care of your eyes because they are complex organs that need care and attention. The human eye is a highly intricate, amazing organ that consists of the pupil, iris, cornea, lens, sclera, macula lutea, retina, optic nerve, and other parts.
Many factors can damage your eyesight, such as sunlight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, cigarette smoke, obesity, and diabetes. These can cause eye diseases such as glaucoma. If you have this disease, you might need to undergo a glaucoma treatment procedure called trabeculectomy. The doctor might also recommend other treatment options. These options include eye drops, oral medications, laser treatments, or implants if they cannot remove enough of the fluid from your eye.
First off, you should eat a healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water to maintain eye health. You should also wear sunglasses to protect against ultraviolet rays and avoid looking at screens for long periods.
The following are good ways to take care of your eyes:
1. Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables
Food is fuel for your body, and you need to make sure you eat the right kind of food to maintain good eye health. Food such as carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, broccoli, spinach, oranges, blueberries, and watermelon contain beta-carotene, which helps you see better at night. Leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale contain lutein and zeaxanthin that protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Blueberries help improve vision by protecting against glare and sunlight reflected from computer screens.
2. Get plenty of sleep
Sufficient amounts of sleep help reduce stress and increase alertness while keeping your eyes healthy. Studies show that sleep deprivation is linked to an increased risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes, risk factors for various eye diseases.
3. Wear sunglasses to protect against ultraviolet (UV) rays
Sunlight is the primary source of UV rays, so wearing sunglasses helps prevent damage due to sunlight. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration, so it is essential to wear sunglasses every time you go out in strong sunlight.
4. Drink lots of water
Water has many health benefits, including keeping your eyes healthy. Drinking water keeps your eyes healthy by flushing away bacteria that might cause infections if they enter your eyes or damage your cornea or retina if they remain there too long. People with glaucoma should drink even more water since one of the symptoms of this disease is extreme dryness of the eyes.
5. Take eye drops to get rid of any dust or dirt in your eyes
Eye drops are medications designed to treat certain eye conditions, such as allergies and inflammation, which might affect your vision if left untreated. Most of them work by washing away bacteria that might have entered your eyes or moisturizing the surface cells on the front part of your eyeballs. Eye drops do not affect vision directly. However, they can make it more comfortable for you to see better when you use them properly with full knowledge of how often to apply them.
6. Wear contact lenses only under professional supervision
Since contact lenses are small plastic disks placed directly on top of your eyeballs, they need to be handled carefully and replaced frequently. It is vital to go for a regular eye checkup before applying contact lenses. Impaired vision might signify a more severe problem such as glaucoma, cataracts, or macular degeneration. Your optometrists can help you understand how often you should change your lenses and recommend the best brands for your eyes.
7. Avoid looking at screens for too long
Experts agree that staring at computer monitors and TVs for hours on end is terrible for your eyesight because it can strain them and tire them out quickly. You need to take short breaks from using these devices every so often so you do not cause yourself any permanent damage. Taking a 10-minute break from your desk every hour to look at distant objects in the distance will do a lot of good for your eyes.
8. Practice good hygiene
Knowing how and when to wash your hands is essential for keeping your eyes healthy. You should always keep your nails short and clean so you do not accidentally scratch your eyeballs while busy doing other things around the house.
People with diabetes should take extra care of their eyes since they have a higher risk of developing blindness or severe vision loss than those without diabetes. Since diabetic retinopathy can affect vision, people who have this condition must regularly monitor their blood sugar levels. They must also maintain them under control through exercise and medication if necessary.
You should be mindful of any eye problems or changes in vision because catching these issues early on might help you prevent something more serious from developing later on down the line. People who spend a lot of time looking at screens, especially young children and teens, should check their eyes every year to make sure they are healthy.
