Tricks to maintaining a good eye sight

The eye, although neglected, is the most important and busiest organ of the body. It is involved in every body activity. Even when you sit to read or relax, the rest of the body rests, but the eyes are at work. Great care and attention must be put to the eyes because just a simple accident can ruin your sight.

Maintaining normal sight takes a lot of caution in this era of advancing technology because so much exposure to light from gadgets such as computers, mobile phones, especially smart phones, and televisions. The lights we expose ourselves to when using these gadgets is too strong for the cornea in our eyes to bend.

Also, due to exposure to ultraviolet radiations from the sun, our sight is normally distorted. Normal sight is barely maintained, especially in aged people and is worsened by lack of some nutrients responsible for maintaining proper eyesight.

So how does one manage to maintain their eye sight with all these gadgets around us:

1. Do not sit too close to the TV.
“Sit six feet away from the television and never switch off lights while watching TV because it puts the light concentration on the television thus straining the eyes,” says Joseph Masajjage, an optometrist at Boss Optical Centre.

2.Do not spend long hours using computers because instead of reflecting the light they emit, they start absorbing it from you thus straining your eyes.

“Computer Vision Syndrome may result from long use of computers without breaks. The syndrome is caused by refractive errors, glare (difficulty in seeing in the presence of bright light), poor lighting in houses, uncorrected visual problems and improper viewing distances,” says Dr Charles Kibaki, an ophthalmologists at Eye to Eye Clinic.

Also, reduce the brightness of your computer and phone to a level comfortable for the eyes. There are computer screens which have an anti-glare coating for both LCD and CRT monitor and it blocks ultra violet radiations from the computer as well as for visual clarity.

The anti-glare is also found in computer glasses but they must be prescribed to you by an optician after eye examination.
Also, put reference materials below the keyboard to avoid turning all the time.

More on light, avoid using too dim or too bright room bulbs at 75-100watts at night.

3.Only put on reading glasses when you need them.

This can be when you are reading and he advises that you do not look through the glasses when focusing at distant objects because it distorts the images and they become blurred. Also, only put on glasses when you critically need them except for people whose sight is too bad and they need them all the time.

“Never put on glasses that are not prescribed for you because you think you have a similar eye problem with someone else. Also, sharing glasses with a person with a sight problem also worsens your sight defect,” says Mulki Hakoram, an optician at Kim’s Medical Centre. If you were tested negative, you may thereafter develop one.

4.Taking breaks
Have resting intervals while reading or using computers to avoid over straining the eyes. Take a nap in the afternoon but if your work schedule cannot allow you, soak a cloth in cold water and put it on your closed eyes for 10-15 minutes.

This can slightly help to improve your sight once done daily. Do this also before you sleep because you should not sleep with stressed eyes. This therapy relaxes the eyes and prevents waking up with swollen eyelids.

5.Eat food that is good for the eyes.
Basic foods for good eyesight are those containing nutrients like vitamins A and C, zinc like pea nuts and lutein; green vegetables like spinach, cabbage; cereals; carrots also aid in night vision. Fruits like mangoes, lemons, grapes

6.Washing eyes
“Wash your eyes with lukewarm water in the morning to minimize bacterial infections; do this at least twice a day. It is also important to frequently wash your eyes because of the dust environment in which we live”, says Dr Masajjage.

7. Hands off eyes
Avoid rubbing your eyes with dirty hands and only touch the eyes after washing your hands. Lubricate with eye drops whenever you feel your eyes are dry but make sure they are not expired and discard them off after three months of opening.

The nozzle should be held above the eye to make sure it does not touch the eye surface to prevent injury.