With lockdown and most of the eye care facilities closed in the UK right now, it is even more important to keep a check on your eye health. During the lockdown in March last year, 22% of the british population noticed changes in their vision. When asked the reason, most of them blamed screen time.
While it’s true that the rise of digital media consumption has brought out some physical and visual nuisances, our day-to-day activities also have a big impact on our eye health. So, while we are still in the lockdown and have a lot of time with us, we should devote some of it to taking care of our peepers.
Digital detox
As we have mentioned that most people blame screen time for their deteriorating eye health during the lockdown, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room.
Long hours of screen time can cause problems with your retinal cells and trigger some temporary discomforts. This is why many people choose to buy blue light blocking glasses for computer screen protection and to keep the discomforts at bay.
You can also buy a pair yourself from an online channel as these glasses don’t require a prescription power. However, when you buy glasses, make sure you read the specifications clearly and go for the ones that filter out 100% blue light.
Eat a healthy diet
All your efforts will fall flat if not accompanied by a healthy diet. To nourish your peepers from within, you have to give them the goodness of vitamin C & E along with carotenoids.
Make sure your food plate is full of green leafy vegetables or you can treat yourself with some delicious seafood, for example, salmon, mackerel, sardines and tuna. They will nurture your eye health and give the required nutrients to your eyes.
Get an eye test
Changes in the vision occurs gradually and you might not even notice them. If you have been putting up with the following symptoms for a while, don’t hesitate to schedule an eye test with an optometrist or ophthalmologist:
- Blurry vision
- Dry eyes
- Eye pain
- Watery eyes
- Eye strain
All these signs could mean that your eyesight has gone worse. If you are a glasses wearer and experiencing difficulty to see clearly through your current glasses, it is a possibility that your prescription has changed.
In this case, you should have an eye test and buy a new pair of eyeglasses. If you are wondering ‘how much prescription glasses cost’, you’ll be surprised to see the affordable ranges of spectacles available online. Not only this, you won’t even have to wait for a week to get your new glasses.
Eye exercises
To make your eye muscles stronger, you can pump them up with some eye exercises. It will relax the optic muscles and improve the functionality of your peepers.
If your eyes feel pain, do a simple palming exercise and give them some relief. You can also move your eyes in circular motion to ensure more flexible eye movements. If you’ve been busy doing close up tasks, take some time out and focus on your eyes on a distant object to prevent the development of myopia.
Give them proper rest
Our eyes work every second of the day. If you don’t give them enough rest, they will lose their efficiency and you’ll be left with low vision.
So while you are watching late night television or binge watching your favourite movies at night, just remember the injustice you are doing to your eyes. Make sure you sleep for at least 8 hours in the night so your eyes feel re-energised for the next morning.
Keep your glasses clean
For those who wear glasses, the virus and germs can live on your optical lenses for a good amount of time. This is why you must wipe them clean of germs and also the dirt and dust. When they become contaminated, sanitize them, run them under cool water and then wipe them off with a lint free cloth.
Scrubbing the lenses with your shirt cloth will leave scratches on the delicate surface. If your lenses are damaged, they will hamper your sight and also cause vision damage. You don’t have to put up with this risk when you can easily buy cheap glasses online with the best quality lenses.
The takeaway
Since we all have so much time on our hands, why not do something that we all tend to overlook – take care of our eyes. It won’t take your money or much of your time and you will have better vision health.
I’m Jaylin: Guest post service planner of Leelija and full time blogger. Favorite things include my camera, traveling, caring my fitness, food and my fashion. Email id: editor@leelija.com
