Ram Saraswat, D. Optom

Optometrist, Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, New Delhi, India

If you are in your 30s and 40s you probably forget to think about your eye health, but this is the exact time you should think about your eyes ⁽¹⁾ because most problems are solved by simple healthy habits. Now, if we first start with diet, a healthy and proper diet may also affect your eye health, therefore, adding a healthy and effective diet to your everyday meal is essential. Some nutrients take care of your eye health, whereas, some prevent your eye from disease. Eating a diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help not only your heart, but also your eyes.

There are many vitamins which are good for eye health, for e.g.,

Vitamin-A: It plays an important role in eye health. Due to Vit-A deficiency there have many chances of night blindness, severe dry eye ⁽²⁾ and xerophthalmia. Therefore, the agents which consist of vit-A in them are, Carrots, sweet potatoes etc. to be included in the diet.

Vitamin-C and E: Both are antioxidants, vit-C prevents the body from the damages caused by something we eat and helps to repair and grow new cells. ⁽³⁾ Dietary items containing vit C are orange, lemon, tomatoes etc.

Vit-E which keeps your cells healthy, which is also necessary. The food items containing Vit E are almonds, avocados, sunflower seeds, etc.

These are some important and impactful vitamins which are necessary for our body. The most common problem being experienced by most people due to vit deficiency are dryness, watering, fatigue and tiredness. These may occur because of spending extended hours on screen. However, this might be unavoidable as in this era 95% work can be done on screen. Therefore, we add some special activities that help you to take care of your eyes with your work.

The 20-20-20 rule may help you, in this rule after spending 20 min on your screen you should look at the object which is 20 foot away from your eyes for 20 seconds.⁽⁴⁾

The other one is that while doing screen work often it is found that we forget to blink our eyes for a long time which is necessary for our eyes. The advice here would be that we should blink our eyes at least 8-10 times/min but the normal range was approx. 12-15 times/min.

The last one is to take a minimum 8-10 hours of complete sleep.

In conclusion, taking care of your eyes is crucial for maintaining good eye health and preventing vision problems. By adopting healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, practicing good hygiene, taking regular breaks from screens, wearing sunglasses, and getting regular eye exams, you can help keep your eyes healthy and functioning optimally. These are the most important, yet easy lifestyle changes we can follow to take care of our eye health and keep conditions like Computer Vision Syndrome away.

References:

1. Reena mukamal. (2021 April 14).14 steps to a lifetime of healthy vision. American Academy of ophthalmology. [https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/healthy-lifestyle-now-good-vision-later; Last accessed: 12 May 2023; 20:00AEST]
2. Dr. Russel Lazarus. (2021 oct 22).why do computers cause dry eye. Optometrist network. [https://www.optometrists.org/general-practice-optometry/guide-to-eye-conditions/guide-to-blurry-vision-and-headaches/how-do-computers-cause-dry-eyes/ ; Last accessed: 12 May 2023; 20:05AEST]
3. celia vimont . (2023 April 7) . 36 fabulous foods to boost eye health . American Academy of ophthalmology. [https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/fabulous-foods-your-eyes; Last accessed: 12 May 2023; 20:15AEST]
4. kierstan Boyd . (2020 March 3) . computers, digital devices, and eye strain. American Academy of ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. [https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/computer-usage; Last accessed: 12 May 2023; 20:10AEST]