Maintain Your Vision with These 10 Best Eye Care Tips

Last weekend after watching a Korean drama marathon for a straight 5 hours through the night, my vision became so blurry that I could hardly read anything within a 20 cm range.

I am always pride myself for having a relatively good eyesight but ever since that fateful night, I discovered that my vision has deteriorated. Needless to say, I paid an optician nearby my office a visit couple of days later after several failed attempts to restore the vision. :(

The optician scanned both my eyes and told me that my blurry eye condition is only temporary and I should regain my good vision after a few days of "rest" - no more drama marathon. The optician shared some eye care tips with me and so below is what I have to share along with some online research of my own.

Routine Vision Checkup

Get your eyes checked every year. Your eyecare professional can examine your eyes to make sure that there are no underlying problems that are developing. Even if you have good vision, it is important to get your eyes examined once a year. Doing this regularly will ensure that you will have healthy eyes as you get older.

Avoid Direct Exposure to Sunlight

It is very important to protect your eyes from direct sunlight, so make sure to wear sunglasses when you are outdoors or driving. The polarized sunglasses are best since they protect your sight by filtering out the UVA rays of the sun that can cause glaucoma and some other eye diseases.

Personal Hygiene

Just like you keep your face clean, make sure your eyes stay clean as well! It is easy for bacteria to enter the eyes, causing an infection. Always make sure your hands are clean when putting in your contacts. Apply makeup carefully, and do not allow a tissue that you've sneezed in to touch your eyes.

Although contacts are a great alternative to glasses, they need to be handled with care. For instance, you cannot just put them anywhere when not using them; be sure to properly store them. Also, do not wear your contacts if you are experiencing a small eye problem, as they can create bigger issues.

Don't rub your eyes. This can be a hard habit to break, particularly if you've been doing it since childhood. However, your hands are really dirty, and by rubbing your eyes, you are passing those germs on to your face. If you must touch your eyes, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly first.

Reading Light

Make sure you have good light when you are reading, especially if the book you are reading has fine print. Although your eyes will not be damaged by reading in dim light, the eye strain it causes will make your eyes feel tired. You should take a break occasionally while reading, especially if your eyes begin to feel tired.

Protective Eyewear

Use protective eyewear when working with strong chemicals or you are in an area where airborne particles may pose a danger to your eyes. Many people have sustained eye injuries while doing woodworking projects or being outdoors during very windy weather. You should also wear goggles when swimming in chlorinated water.

Watch Your Diet

You can actually prevent many eye problems with proper care. High amounts of C and E vitamins can help prevent macular degeneration and other diseases. Some good choices are oranges, beans, nuts, tuna, salmon and spinach.

Increasing the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is also a great way to care for your eyes. You would be happy to make sure you have foods that have this nutrient in your body while you diet. These foods include salmon, halibut, tuna and leafy, dark green vegetables. Eat a serving everyday.

Drink plenty of water to keep your eyes hydrated. Your eyes are made mostly of water, and they need to stay moist at all times to remain healthy. Dry eyes are more prone to eye problems and diseases. Keeping your body fully hydrated will ensure that your eyes stay moisturized.

Stop Straining Your Eyes

Don't strain the eyes for too long. When you strain your vision and focus on something, such as a computer or television screen, you typically forget to blink as much as you should. When you don't blink enough, it means your eyes are getting the lubrication they need, which can lead to more serious problems.

Cucumbers For Your Eyes

Cucumbers are great for healing puffy eyes. Cut a couple slices and place them on each eye, and rest for about 20 minutes. When you get up, your eyes will be refreshed and feel better. Do this as needed, and you will keep the area surrounding your eyes looking healthy and young.

Quit That Cigarette

You should quit smoking to better care for your eyes. It may sound ridiculous, but research has shown that smoking can negatively impact your eyes. It can increase your risks of developing cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. These issues can cause cause you to lose your sight, so it is worth the effort to quit.

Protect Your Eye in Front of Computer

If you work for long periods of time on a computer, protect your eyes by taking frequent breaks. You might have noticed that your eyes often feel strained, tired and itchy during regular working hours. This is probably a good indication that you're over working them. Get up and stretch for a few minutes, offering your eyes some time away from the screen.

Just as the below tips that Dr.Usha – Ophthalmologist has shared over at www.healthbeautytips.net, it is truly important that we take good care of our vision when working in front of the computer when working over an extensive period of time.

Monitor should be more than 5 inches from the eyes.

Ideal viewing area is 6 inches below the horizontal eye level.

Work with fonts of darker shades on light background.

Attach an anti-glare screen in front of the monitor.

Use screen mounted document holder at the same plane.

Use suspended lights from ceiling & windows with curtains to avoid light hitting directly on eyes.

Avoid sitting in front of AC  or in a room with low humidity.

 20-20-20 rule  – Take short breaks for your eyes every 20 minutes between your work for 20 seconds and look 20 feet away.

Give proper rest to the eyes – Close your eyes for 20 seconds at least every half an hour.

Correct near vision with glasses.

Use of Anti reflective coating glasses can reduce glare from a monitor.

Contact lens users need to lubricate their eyes frequently.

And if that's not enough for you, check out the 11 valuable eye care tips shared over at www.visionsource.com which will help eliminate computer eye strains for those of us working long hours in front of that laptop or desktop computer.

Take a break - Use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.

Blink frequently - Do not forget to blink periodically. Staring at computer screens can dry our eyes and cause redness and irritation.

Consider computer glasses - Computer glasses are prescription eyewear that are specifically designed for computer work. They allow you to focus your eyes on the distance of a computer screen, which is generally farther away than reading material. Computer glasses optimize your eyesight when you're looking at digital screens and help to reduce glare.

Keep your monitor bright - This reduces the flicker rate of the computer and reduces fatigue. Flickering can lead to eyestrain and headaches. Also, a bright monitor causes your pupil to constrict, which results in a greater range of focus. This reduces the need for your eye to accommodate and enables you to work longer and with more comfort.

Use proper lighting - Use incandescent lighting and avoid high-intensity lamps, which cast shadows and create glare. Place a dim light on either side of your workstation to create equal brightness without dark, shadowed areas.

Check your monitor’s position - The position of your computer monitor can add to your eyestrain. It is important that it be positioned at the proper distance away from your eyes. Optimally, your computer screen should be 15 to 20 degrees below eye level (about 4 or 5 inches) as measured from the center of the screen and 20 to 28 inches from the eyes.

Adjust your screen resolution - Make sure your monitor has a high-resolution display. A higher resolution produces sharper type and crisper images, reducing eye strain.

Minimize glare - Clean your monitor regularly to remove dust and consider installing an anti-glare screen. It also helps to keep shades drawn to prevent glare from outside sources.

Try massage or eye cupping - Massaging the area around the eyes will help relax the muscles and can be very comforting. Rub your hands together to create friction and warmth, then gently cup your palms over your closed eyes and rest them.

Take your vitamins - Getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals is important for overall eye health. Opt for vitamins that contain antioxidants and ingredients that help improve the health of the eye and reduce eyestrain, such as vitamins A, C and E with a B complex and Zinc.

Schedule a comprehensive eye exam - Almost 71% of people reporting symptoms of CVS wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, so make sure your prescription is correct! The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that all computer users have an eye exam yearly. Lastly, be sure to tell your eye doctor about your workstation setup and the number of hours each day you spend on electronic devices.

After this incident, I realized that I have taken my good eyesight for granted all these while and I have been neglecting  them for so long. Taking care of our vision is a life time journey and I hope whatever I have shared above is of some use to you.