Vision Care Tips

Eyes are considered to be the “windows of the soul.” Taking great care of our eyes can help us to see the world better. It is without a doubt that we should follow professional advice to protect our eyes and vision. Only a few simple tips will keep our eyes healthy.

1. Eat right. What you eat everyday helps determine how your vision is. According to a health source from Harvard, omega 3 fatty acids are essential nutrients for health especially vision (1). Omega 3 cannot be generated from the body itself so people have to digest it from food such as salmon and other oily fish. Reduce the intake of meat and replace it with green vegetables. Green vegetables include vitamins C and E, which is also in citrus fruit or in the form of tablets that can be purchased in pharmacy stores. Maintaining balanced eating habits can keep your body in homeostasis and working optimally, which leads to good vision and other positive outcomes.

2. Wear protective eye-wear. Wearing sunglasses will make you less vulnerable to ultraviolet rays. Too much ultraviolet exposure will cause macular degeneration (2). It can also accelerate other negative health consequences like the development of cataracts. Other protective eye-wear are goggles when playing sports outdoors and shields of heavy construction welding work.

3. Proper exercise is key. In China, a ten-minute eye exercise is required twice a day for elementary and secondary school children to protect them from staring at books or the computer screen for too long. If people spend a lot of time with an electronic device, eyes can become dry and vision can get blurry. It can also cause possible pain, as well as sore neck and shoulder. Thus, a 10-minute break every one hour is recommended, which would help reduce the eyestrain. A simple eye exercise is to take a cold compress and massage the eyes. Alternatively, one could try eye rolling several times to lubricate and refresh the eyes.

4. Get your eyes checked. Every few years, especially if you notice vision changes, it is important get an eye exam. A simple fix like prescription eye glasses can prevent a person from losing their vision. Also, an eye doctor can often catch signs of early diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and cancer simply from examining the eyes.

This article contributed by HHP Staff Writer, Xiaoye Jin.