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Dr Himanshu Mehta, chairman and managing director of The Vission Eye Center, Mumbai tells you how to keep your eyes healthy.
Every one knows the importance of eyesight in their life, but not many people know these simple ways to keep their eyes healthy.
1. Do not read in dim light or very bright light. Keep the reading light behind you with light falling on the reading material.
2. Sit at least six feet away while watching TV.
3. Do not read in a moving vehicle or while lying down.
4. Do not watch too much TV or play computer games.
5. Know your family’s eye health history. Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease or condition since many are hereditary.
6. Eat right to protect your sight. You’ve heard carrots are good for your eyes. But eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens is important for keeping your eyes healthy, too.
7. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions, which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma. If you are having trouble maintaining a healthy weight, talk to your doctor.
8. Wear protective eyewear. Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home. Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards specially designed to provide the correct protection for a certain activity. Most protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is 10 times stronger than other plastics.
9. Quit smoking or never start. Smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body. Research has linked smoking to an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and optic nerve damage, all of which can lead to blindness.
10. Be cool and wear your shades. Sunglasses are a great fashion accessory, but their most important job is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When purchasing sunglasses, look for ones that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
11. Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing on any one thing, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This can help reduce eyestrain.
12. Clean your hands and your contact lenses properly. To avoid the risk of infection, always wash your hands thoroughly before putting in or taking out your contact lenses. Make sure to disinfect contact lenses as instructed and replace them as appropriate.
13. Get a complete comprehensive dilated annual eye examination done
14. If eyes turn red show your nearest eye surgeon. Do not wear contact lenses if the eyes are red.
15. And do not put any steroid eye drops without a proper prescription.
Dr. Himanshu Mehta is among the leading ophthalmologists in Mumbai and has more than two decades of experience with over 10,000 surgeries to his credit. Dr. Mehta is an expert in cataract, phaco-emulsification surgeries and vitreo-retinal lasik surgery.
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