Boost Your Eye Health
The Sense of Sight: A Blessing Worth Protecting
The sense of sight is considered one of the most important vital senses, and it allows us to interact with the world around us. When exposed to damage, it profoundly affects the quality of life of the injured person, and also hinders the performance of his daily tasks and social interaction. The World Health Organization estimates that there are about 2.7 billion people around the world with some type of visual impairment.
World Sight Day: A Call to Action
To spread awareness about this important issue, the world annually celebrates World Sight Day on the second Thursday of October, to spread awareness globally about the importance of eye health. This year, World Sight Day falls on October 10. Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, part of the M42 Group, works with high capabilities to provide eye health care, and is committed to protecting vision health in the community and spreading awareness about preventable problems of blindness.
Protecting Our Most Precious Sense
As part of his keenness to protect sight with simple, applicable steps, Dr. Ismail Arbabi, Ophthalmology Consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, offers 5 tips to maintain the health of our eyes, today and every day. If you are interested, my dear, in strengthening your eyes and keeping them safe from fatigue and disease, all you have to do is continue reading here.
Tips to Improve Eye Health
- Regular Examinations: Regular eye examinations are an important step to detect early signs of vision problems. Therefore, it is recommended to schedule a comprehensive eye examination every one to two years. Especially if the person has a family history of eye diseases, or if he or she is over 40 years old. Some eye diseases, such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, can be hereditary.
- Protecting the Eyes: Excessive exposure to sunlight increases the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Therefore, you must choose sunglasses capable of blocking 100% of long and medium ultraviolet rays to protect the eyes from harmful rays. Also, getting enough sleep at night is essential for maintaining eye health.
- Eating Healthy Food: Diet plays an important role in promoting eye health, as foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E can help protect against age-related vision problems. Therefore, it is recommended to add leafy vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and citrus fruits to meals.
- Following Healthy Habits: Smoking greatly affects the eyes, and increases the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. Therefore, quitting smoking is one of the important steps that can be taken to protect your vision and health in general. Dry eyes can also cause discomfort and blurred vision, so you should make sure to drink plenty of water to keep the body hydrated and prevent eye irritation.
- Taking a Break from Screens: Excessive exposure to all types of screens causes eye strain. Therefore, it is recommended to follow the 20-20-20 rule, that is, look at something about 20 feet away every 20 minutes, away from the screen for at least 20 seconds. This helps reduce eye strain and maintains eye health.
5 Simple Lifestyle Changes that Help Improve Eyesight
A newspaper indicated that some symptoms of poor vision include blurry vision, which often gets worse in bright light, and difficulty recognizing faces; In addition to red eyes, itchy eyes, and frequent headaches. This makes us worry about the health of our eyes and fear of blindness in the long term.
But this is only possible in two cases: the first is not treating the problem of poor vision; The second relates to some wrong lifestyle practices, such as poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and excessive use of screens.
- Doing Eye Exercises: What distinguishes these exercises is their ability to strengthen weak eye muscles by enhancing blood circulation in them. Whereas, like other muscles, eye muscles also need to be strengthened to achieve healthy and sharp vision.
- Exercising: It is necessary to know that exercise is not limited to losing weight and strengthening physical fitness, but rather its benefits extend to healthy eyesight. Regular exercises help enhance the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the eyes, apart from other parts of the body. Exercise can also help manage blood pressure, thus maintaining good eye health.
- Dietary Changes: As Dr. Arbabi from Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi told us, introducing some foods, especially those rich in vitamins A and E, in addition to leafy vegetables, carrots, citrus fruits, fish, etc., contributes to maintaining the health and quality of vision.
- Reducing Screen Time: While I was working on writing this article, I tried as much as possible to apply some of the valuable tips I discuss here. This includes reducing screen time and taking breaks from working in front of the laptop screen, as well as time browsing social networking sites and others on the mobile phone.
- Fixing Lighting: One of the most common causes of eye strain is poor lighting, such as very dim light, or only screen light from a computer or phone. So, my dear, make sure to provide appropriate lighting in all rooms and where you work, so that it is not weak or strong and harsh lighting that can lead to eye strain or blurred vision.
Conclusion
Vision health is an integral part of overall health. This year, World Sight Day comes to remind us of the necessity of taking all preventive measures that protect the health of our eyes from weakness and disease. Do not hesitate, my dear, to apply all the medical and health advice that we mentioned in our article today, in order to enjoy good and sustainable visual health.
FAQs
Q: How can I protect my eyes from damage?
A: You can protect your eyes from damage by scheduling regular eye examinations, wearing sunglasses capable of blocking 100% of long and medium ultraviolet rays, and following healthy habits such as quitting smoking and eating a balanced diet.
Q: What are some common causes of eye strain?
A: Some common causes of eye strain include poor lighting, excessive use of screens, and lack of sleep.
Q: How can I reduce eye strain?
A: You can reduce eye strain by following the 20-20-20 rule, taking regular breaks from screens, and ensuring that the room is well-lit and at a comfortable temperature.