#LoveYourEyes is all about being aware of your own eye health. The #LoveYourEyes campaign was started in 2021 for World Sight Day by the International Agency for Blindness Prevention. It proved so successful, they decided to continue its use this year. Please read and share the following information about taking care of your eyes.
The 4Ps of Loving Your Eyes are:
- Prevent
- Protect
- Preserve
- Prioritize
Prevent
Many eye diseases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is all about eating healthy and adopting healthy habits such as cutting down on smoking and/or drinking, maintaining a healthy weight through a healthy diet and exercise, and maintaining normal blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Eating a healthy balanced diet is often the crucial step in maintaining a healthy weight, controlling obesity, and preventing diseases such as diabetes, all of which can impact eye health.
Nutrients that can help maintain good eye health are vitamins A, C and E, Omega 6+ and Omega 3, lutein, zeaxanthin and zinc. For more detailed information visit here.
Protect
While leading a healthy lifestyle can help you prevent several eye diseases it is equally important to protect and take care of your eyes. The risk ranges from severe sunlight to workplace accidents to prolonged exposure to screens at homes. What can you do to protect your eyes?
Now that the use of technology has become an integral part of all our lives, it is important to cut down on screen time and take regular breaks to avoid symptoms such as eye strain, headache, dry eyes, and musculoskeletal issues, all of which come under what is referred to as computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain. When looking at a computer screen, maintain good posture and keep about an arm’s length away from the screen.
Wear protective eye wear. It is important to protect our eyes from harmful radiations like the ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. Using good quality sunglasses is the simplest step you can take towards protecting your eyes when you step out of the house.
A healthy workplace is important for your eyes too. If you are among those where work exposes you to hazardous chemicals, radiations, flying particles, and excessive heat, you must use protective eyewear as recommended by occupational standards and guidelines.
Clean out your cosmetics. It is essential to maintain good care and a cleaning regimen. Make-up and eye cosmetics can cause issues such as dryness of the ocular surface to allergic reactions.
Preserve
Plan for—and get—a regular comprehensive eye examination. A comprehensive eye examination will ensure that your eye care practitioner obtains a detailed medical history and family history to understand your risk factors, followed by checking your vision, eye power, and eye health by instilling dilating eye drops.
Prioritize
Ensure that eye examinations are a part of your routine medical examination. Prioritize your eye health and consider “Love your eyes” as a life’s mission and educate your family, loved ones and community regarding the importance of eyes and vision.
When should you get an eye test? All of us should get our eyes examined once every two years
If you have an existing eye condition and have been advised of regular eye examinations by your eye care practitioner, it is important to keep up with the schedule
Do plan for an annual eye check-up if:
- You are aged-40 or above
- Have a family history of Glaucoma (increased eye pressure or any sight-threatening complications)
- If you have Diabetes or Hypertension
- History of chronic smoking
- If you are already wearing glasses and your eye power is high (High myopia)
Emergency!
Some red flags for an emergency eye examination would include (but not limited to) seeing flashes of lights, sudden blurring or loss of vision, redness, eye pain, seeing colored rings around light.
