Introduction:

Your eyes are precious and deserve to be looked after. There are many ways you can do this which include diet, a healthy life style and physical protection

Difficulty performing daily work and leisure activities:

If you have cataracts, your vision will not only become cloudy or blurry, making it harder to see but can also affect color and contrast vision. This means that daily activities will become increasingly difficult, particularly in dim lighting conditions. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, and watching television are all examples of this.

Eat a Healthy Diet:

A healthy diet which includes sources of vitamin A (carrots & green leafy vegetables such as spinach & kale), anti-oxidants (dark chocolate in moderation, blueberries/ strawberries and pecan nuts) and omega 3 fatty acids (oily fish, chia/ flax seeds and edamame beans) is beneficial to eye health. In addition you should avoid food with high fat, high sugar and excessive refined carbohydrates. If you have specific dietary needs then you should speak to a dietician before making any changes.

Try Supplements:

It can often be difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of nutritional elements entirely through your diet. While the evidence for the benefit of general dietary supplements is not clear there are conditions where specific formulations are of benefit. A combination of vitamins and minerals known as the AREDS formulation has been found to protect the eyes from developing wet macular degeneration in certain patients. Ask your eye doctor for further advice on using these.

Relax Your Body and Your Eyes:

In busy city environments such as London, UK, it is often difficult to stop and breathe. However, there are some useful techniques you can incorporate into your busy lifestyle.

When you wake up try to spend ten minutes alone: make yourself comfortable, close your eyes, listen to some music and focus on positive thoughts.

Getting a good night’s sleep is another way to rest your body, mind, and eyes. Try to avoid work, staring at your smart phone screen and stimulating drinks a few hours before your usual bedtime. Wind down slowly with a bedtime ritual of your choice. This could be a hot bath, reading a book or indulging in a favourite activity.

Stop Smoking:

You know bad smoking is for your health. It harms your heart, skin, lungs, eyes, and your blood vessels. There are several ways that smoking can harm your eyes. It can cause blocked or burst blood vessels, macular degeneration, and other sight-threatening eye conditions. Smokers suffer from dry eyes and lung cancer can often spread to the eyes.

Protect your eyes:

Ocular surface disease often called ‘dry eyes’ is a common condition affecting people of all ages. The tears are no longer able to moisturise or wet the surface of the eyes properly. This leads to gritty, sore, painful, blurry eyes. While old age is an important factor, modern living and our fascination with computer screens and smart phones has led to a widespread problem in younger patients. Avoid prolonged use of screens or any activity which reduces the blink reflex such as reading. Take regular breaks and look at a far object, blink frequently or just close your eyes for 5 minutes. Drink water and other fluids and try a cool compress to the eyes. Moisturising eyedrops used 1-2 times a day can alleviate symptoms.

Wear suitable eye protection when carrying out high risk jobs including ‘do it yourself’ or DIY tasks. This is also important if you work in high risk environments such as construction sites or a clinical laboratory. Remember that both ultraviolet & infrared radiation can cause damage to the eyes if the exposure is chronic or intense. Using correct laser protective eyewear can protect your eyes from serious damage.

Conclusion:

You can take care of your eyes through a holistic approach to your health.  This includes life style strategies such as quitting smoking, adopting a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep, as well as protecting your eyes from injury and overuse.