#HEALTHTALK 21: Recommendations for a good eye sight

Many factors contribute to poor eye sight, and questions often arise in people's minds like: What are the causes of poor eye sight despite obeying some health rules? How can one improve his/her sight? and other related questions. 

A lot of factors are involved in answering these questions because there are various things which can cause poor vision. 

Our eye muscles contract and relax when we want to see with the eyes. An eye should be able to converge and diverge light. 

Some Recommendations For Getting a Good Eye Sight

1. The number one thing I can recommend is proper nutrition because it is the foundation of health. You can mind your diet by maintaining a healthy eating habit because a well balanced diet reduces the odds of obesity, which can lead to diabetes retinopathy, and hypertension which can lead to hypertensive retinopathy. 

Also, monitor your intake of saturated fats. Saturated fats are known to contribute to age-related eye diseases as mentioned above. Experts advice that we avoid high fat dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese, and high processed foods and drinks. 

Instead, in our diet, we should eat green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, sea foods, fruits, especially citrus fruits.

2. Protect your eyes from ultra violet ray by using sun glasses. 

Wear Sunglasses during the day when you are under the sun but let it be the right pair of shades. 

It has been discovered that the right pair of shades will help protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays can boost your chances of having cataracts and macular degeneration.

Diagram of the eye ball

When choosing eye lenses, choose a pair that blocks 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Polarized lenses reduce glare. They are anti-glare lenses, while drive and wrap-around lenses help protect your eyes from the sides. Dr.  Joseph Allen from Buffalo Eye Care in the United States of America suggests that Randolph sunglasses is an ideal one and recommends it. 

3. Obey the 20/20/20 rule while looking at an Away Computer Screen. 

Looking at the screen for too long is not healthy. It can strain the eyes, cause the eyes to be dry, cause headache and neck pain, poor sleep, blurred vision and affect your whole psychology. 

How do we obey the 20/20/20 rule when looking at the screen? 

Experts advice that you take frequent breaks and give your eyes a rest every 20 minutes by looking at least 20 feet away from the screen for 20 seconds. 

You can deliberately blink your eyes and use artificial tear drops or rewetting drops to help with dryness. 

To improve sleep pattern, turn on blue light apps or wear blue light protecting eye glasses throughout the afternoon and evenings. 

4. Visit an Opthalmologist (optometrist)—your eye doctor—regularly

Assumption can be quite costly. Visit the hospital to ascertain the health of your eyes. An ophthalmologist will exam your eyes with proper equipment, collect vital medical history and guide you through efficient eye care procedures. As professionals, the have the necessary skillset and knowledge for that. 

5. Avoid unhealthy lifestyles and quit smoking. Smoking can cause damage to internal organs of the body, and it make you more likely to get cataracts, macular degeneration, damage to your optic nerve, among many other medical problems. 

6. For the good of your health, you should take the usage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) seriously, especially if you use hazardous or airborne materials at your work place or at home. You can wear safety glasses or protective goggles.

Some experts suggest that during sports, you should wear helmets with protective face masks or sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses. Such will protect your eyes.

7. Use the recommended pair of glasses from your doctor. Avoid using glasses not recommended for your eyes, to avoid further complications in the future. 

8. Ask your doctor about the best way to apply eye drops. Wrong or inappropriate application can cause eye infections. Personally, I was doing it wrongly too until a doctor showed me the best way to apply it in order to keep my eyes healthy and void of infections. 

Allow doctors to examine your eyes and recommend  glasses when there is need to wear one. 

Addendum

Here is a list of organizations responsible for eye care in developing nations, compiled by the American Academy of Opthamology.

The organizations concerned with eye care in developing nations include:

• Branch for International Surgery at UBC
• Charity Vision 
• Christian Blind Mission
• Fred Hollows Foundation
• Helen Keller International
• Himalayan Cataract Project 
• International Centre for Eye Health
• International Council of Ophthalmology
• International Eye Foundation
• International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness
• Mercy ships.org
• Orbis: Saving Sight Worldwide 
• Restoring Vision
• Rotarian Action Group for Blindness Prevention
• SEVA Foundation
• SightReach Surgical
• Sight Savers International
• SEE International
• Unite for Sight 
• Vision 2020: The Right to Sight
• Vision Health International
• Volunteer Eye Surgeons International
• World Health Organization Prevention of Blindness & Deafness

Lilian Uchechi Eze is a Nutritionist-Dietitian and teacher in Lagos, Nigeria. She is also a Lead Content Creator at The Paul Anunaso Blog, and can be reached at lilian.thepaulanunasoblog@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The #HealthTalk series is aimed at informing the public in a general sense that is not necessarily professional. Hence, the information provided herein is not meant to replace the appropriate medical guidance of a trained and licensed physician. Doctor's counsels are to be taken in preference.

~ The Paul Anunaso Blog Team