Diet and regular upkeep are two important factors in takingcare of your eyes. Your eyes are the window to the world. It's important thatyou take care of them.
1. Eat lotsof fruits and veggies! Carrots, loaded with beta carotene are especiallyhelpful in maintaining healthy eyes. That's because beta carotene is anantioxidant that reduces the risk of macular degeneration. Broccoli, and brussels sprouts are also great for youreyes, containing lots of vitamin C.
2. Avoidwearing contact lenses for more than 19 hours. This can cause permanent sightdamage as well as extreme discomfort to your eyes. Don't wear glasses too longeither. Especially 3-D glasses! Never sleep with your contact lenses in unlessspecifically instructed to do so. Your eyes need regular supplies of oxygen,and lenses block the flow of oxygen to the eyes, especially during sleep.
3. Useallergen-reducing eye drops sparingly. Using an allergen-reducing eye dropduring allergy season to 'get the red out' and sooth itchiness may help on alimited basis, but chronic daily use can actually make the problem worse.Allergen-reducing eye drops work by constricting the blood flow to the cornea,thereby depriving it of oxygen. So while your eyes don't feel inflamed anditchy anymore, they're actually not getting any oxygen from blood.
4. Usecucumber on your eyelids. Press cold cucumber slices gently against eyelids 10minutes before going to sleep at night to prevent puffiness. Cucumbers containasorbic acid and caffeic acid, which prevent water retention. These compoundshelp explain why cucumbers are used throughout the world to treat inflammationand dermatitis. Green tea bags may also help prevent puffiness if applied tothe eyes. Soak the tea bag in cold water for a few minutes and place over eyesfor 15-20 minutes. The tannins in the tea should help reduce inflammation.
5. Wear UVprotective sunglasses. Get polarized lenses, NOT just darker lenses. The lensesthat only make the world darker will just make your pupils dilate and don't doa thing to stop the UV rays. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can harm your eyesight,protection in youth can help prevent loss of eyesight in later years. Exposureto UV rays has been linked to cataracts, macular degeneration, pingueculae andpterygia, harmful conditions for the eyes.
6. Try notto spend so much time looking at your computer screen. While science hasn't yetproven that looking at computer screens causes permanent eye damage, it maycause eye strain and dry eyes. The glare from computer screens causes musclefatigue in the eyes, either from being too bright or too dark. People blinkless when they're looking at a screen, causing drier eyes. Make a consciouseffort to blink every 30 seconds when you're sitting down and looking at yourcomputer screen to combat dry eyes.
7. Diabetesand Eye Problems: Common eye problems include cataracts and glaucoma. Diabeticretinopathy is the most common form of eye problem affecting people withdiabetes, but further diabetes-related eye problems are common - such asglaucoma and cataracts. At their most extreme, each of these conditions cancause loss of vision and even blindness. People with diabetes are twice aslikely to suffer from cataracts or glaucoma than the general population. What are diabetes eye problems? Diabetes eyeproblems occur when blood glucose levels are left untreated, or may behereditary and exacerbated by diabetes (such as cataracts and glaucoma). Asimple visit to an ophthalmologist could help to stop thousands of people eachyear from going blind, this is why people with diabetes should have a dilatedeye examination at least once per year. Major studies have shown that lasersurgery lowers the risk of vision loss from diabetic eye disease. However, oncediabetic eye problems have damaged the vision laser treatment is not effectivein reversing damage.
