Care for your eyes

EYES RIGHT

Don’t let your eyes take the brunt of your carelessness, warns Dr Anand Parthasarathy.

Eyes are the windows of the soul. They must remain healthy and need lots of attention and care for the same. Due to pollution and other environmental disturbances, poor vision, irritation in eyes and other eye related problems are quite common.

Overexposure to ultraviolet light is thought to be a cause of cataracts, retinal damage and other eye problems. Good quality sunglasses with UV protection are advisable.

Sunglasses are important while driving too, since sunrays can also enter through car windows and can cause damage to one’s eyes. When selecting dark glasses, make sure they are 100% UV protected. Wearing substandard sunglasses will make the pupils dilate, allowing more harmful UV rays to enter the eye and cause damage.

Dust, along with pollen, can cause eye allergies such as conjunctivitis which is a very common during summers. It makes the eyes red, causes itching and watering of eyes. In some cases stickiness in eyes occurs during morning time or after a long sleep which is known as vernal conjunctivitis. Maintain good hygiene by washing your eyes with clean water. Don't share handkerchiefs or towels and limit your contact for the first couple of days as conjunctivitis spreads easily. Use antibiotic eye drops and eye ointments only under medical supervision.

Dry eyes are common, as most people work on computers and laptop for long hours. Wash the eyes often and use lubricating eye drops for relief. When sitting in an AC room, make sure the blast is not directed straight into your eyes, this leads to drying and sensitivity of the eyes.

If you swim regularly, ensure that you wear goggles. Most pools have high amounts of chlorine and other chemicals to keep water safe, which often leads to weepy, irritable eyes. Wash your eyes with fresh water when you step out of the pool. Avoid swimming with contact lenses and, otherwise, use disposable lenses to prevent keratitis or corneal inflammation. Ask your eye doctor to prescribe you with preservative free drops — they keep the eyes comfortable.

If you've been in the sun all day and wake up next day with red or painful eyes, use lubricant eyedrops. Soon after, get some restful sleep for six to eight hours. It helps rejuvenate your eyes in a natural way.

One must drink lots of water to avoid dehydration of eyes. Water is very important for every part of our body, including eyes. One must drink at least 2 litres of water in a day to avoid tiredness of eyes.

Taking care of your eyes involves following a healthy lifestyle and diet. Foods such as green leafy vegetables, fruits, carrots, liver, cod liver, nuts are very beneficial for healthy eyes. Chilled cucumbers or tea bags applied over the eyes calm and refresh tired eyes.
But nothing is more important to your eyes than sleep. A good comfortable sleep and rest is very important for healthy eyes. Closing your eyes gives them time to heal.
(The writer is a cornea & refractive surgeon)