It's important to take care of your eyesight. Here are just a few things you need to know to ensure that you maintain good eye health:
1. Cleanliness
First, wash your eyes every morning as you wash your face. If you have also had a long day, especially where you have been outside in the dust, wash your face and eyes.
Secondly, avoid touching or scratching your eyes with dirty hands or fingers; you can get an infection. If your eyes itch, wash your hands then use a clean wet cloth to wash them gently. Vigorous rubbing is also not recommended; you can injure your eyes and even make them severely red.
2. Behaviours
Staring at screens for long durations can affect your eyesight; this is especially the case if the screens are too close to your eyes. That is why sometimes you might notice you have a headache when you stay in front of a screen for long durations. Use antiglare glasses if you know your work requires long computer working hours.
Staring at the sun is also not healthy. The sun is too bright, and it has harmful UV rays. Have you ever noticed that if you look at the sun directly and the look away your vision will be affected? This is a clear indication that you can easily damage your eyes if you stare at the sun for too long. If it is sunny or hot outside, try wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes.
3. Diet
Eat foods and fruits that are good for your eyes; these are foods and fruits containing vitamin A, C and omega-3 fatty acids. Also, avoid excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking; these are drugs that slowly damage your eyes.
4. Visiting an Optometrist
An optometrist is qualified and licensed to examine your eyes and address various eye conditions. If a particular eye condition requires more specialised treatment involving surgery, the optometrist may refer you to an eye surgeon/ophthalmologist or a cataract surgeon.
Don't just visit an optometrist when you are facing eye problems. Visit the specialist for advice and to get answers to your questions about eye care directly from the specialist. A one on one session beats any other source of information because you even get a full eye examination. The optometrist may also request for various tests to check whether you have any underlying conditions that could affect your eyesight in the future.
When I found out my toddler needed glasses, I wondered how I would ever get him to keep them on, and my fears were validated when my son decided they belonged in his dress-up box. A lot of trial and error and creative thinking were required to finally get to the point where my son would happily wear his glasses all day, and I felt relieved his eye health was being supported. I started this blog to share my tips with other parents whose child struggles to understand the importance of wearing glasses that have been prescribed for them. I hope you find my blog useful.