EYE HEALTH EDUCATION

Eye health is the state in which vision, ocular health, functional ability is maximized, thereby contributing to overall health and well-being, social inclusion, and quality of life.

Below are ways of keeping the eyes healthy:

1. FOOD FOR THE HEALTHY EYE

Good eye health begins from your plate. Nutrients like Vit A, E, C, Omega 3 fatty acids, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, might help to prevent problem or reduce complications.

Example of food that are good for the eyes include:

1. Leafy greens- spinanch, ugwu, kale, eforiro, waterleaf, broccolli
2. Seed- hemp seeds, chia seeds, sunflower, cinnamon, cloves
3. Citrus fruits- lemon, orange, grape
4. Vegetables- bell peppers, green pepper, onions, beetroot, garlic, tomato
5. Nuts- walnut, cashew, peanuts, lentils
6. Berries- cherry, black berry, raspberry, blueberry
7. Dried fruits- almond
8. Other fruits- custard apple (soursop), plums, avocados, carrots, dragon fruits, mango, apricot, pumpkin
9. Others include-fish, eggs (especially the yolk), milk, liver, cheese, sweet potato, cod liver oil, beef, chicken breast, pork loin
10. Rehydrating one-self is very important

2. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR EYES

Diet and regular upkeep are two important factors in taking care of your eyes. Eye exercises can restore your sight. Your eyes are the window to the world. It’s important that you take care of them.

1. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables! Carrots, loaded with beta carotene are especially helpful in maintaining healthy eyes.
2. Wear UV protective sunglasses. Get polarized lenses, NOT just darker lenses. The lenses that only make the world darker will just make your pupils dilate and don’t do a thing to stop the UV rays. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can harm your eyesight; protection in youth can help prevent loss of eyesight in later years. Exposure to UV rays has been linked to cataracts, macular degeneration, pinguecula and pterygia, harmful conditions for the eyes.
3. Try not to spend so much time looking at your computer screen. While science hasn’t yet proven that looking at computer screens causes permanent eye damage, it may cause eye strain and dry eyes. The glare from computer screens causes muscle fatigue in the eyes, either from being too bright or too dark. People blink less when they’re looking at a screen, causing drier eyes. Make a conscious effort to blink every 30 seconds when you’re sitting down and looking at your computer screen to combat dry eyes.
4. Wear goggles when appropriate. Be sure to wear goggles or other eye protective wear when working with chemicals or any place with harmful airborne particulates. Minimize the transmission of harmful particulate matter into eye region.
5. Exercise your eyes, and also be sure to relax Try focusing your eyes on objects that are near to you, then objects that are far away. Repeat this process multiple times. Sit down, place your elbows on your hips, close your eyes and bring your closed eyes down, resting them on your palms. Keep your palms covering your eyes for 10 seconds? Open your eyes and repeat as necessary. Stretch your arm out and place your thumb in the hitchhiker position. Focus your vision on your thumb while you slowly bring your outstretched arm closer to your body, until your thumb is about five inches from your face. Slowly zoom the thumb back to its original position, focusing on it with your eyes all the while.
6. Do not read in dim light. Reading in dim light can cause eye strain but will not damage your eyes. If your eyes feel tired, stop for a while and take a break. Do not look at a bright light directly. Never focus your eyes on the sun directly, as it can damage your eyes.
7. Avoid wearing contact lenses for more than 19 hours. This can cause permanent sight damage as well as extreme discomfort to your eyes. Never sleep with your contact lenses in unless specifically instructed to do so. Your eyes need regular supplies of oxygen, and lenses block the flow of oxygen to the eyes, especially during sleep. So, doctors recommend a normal period of break for your eyes during the night. Avoid wearing your contact lenses when swimming. Your lenses could easily slip off your ideas when they come in contact with the surface area of the water. If you are wearing goggles, your contact lenses may be used while swimming.
8. Use cucumber on your eyelids. Press cold cucumber slices gently against eyelids 10 minutes before going to sleep at night to prevent puffiness. Cucumbers contain ascorbic acid and caffeic acid, which prevent water retention. These compounds help explain why cucumbers are used throughout the world to treat inflammation and dermatitis.

3. THE NEVER WARNINGS
4. Never rub your eyes too much.
5. Never look into the sun directly or with a telescope.
6. Never put sharp objects in your eyes.
7. Never put salt in your eyes.
8. Never punch someone’s eye.
9. Never do self-treatment or medication on your eyes.
10. Never use another’s eye drop, go see a doctor.

4. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF EYEGLASSES

Eyeglasses are important personal use items. They require great care because the frame and the lenses are very fragile and can be damaged at the slightest impact. High quality frames and lenses are considerably expensive, which makes eyeglasses quite an investment. It also takes time and effort to find the perfect eyeglasses according to prescription and requirements. Owing to these reasons, it feels like a tremendous loss when a pair of eyeglasses is damaged beyond use. Simple maintenance and care tips can prolong the life of the eyeglasses and make sure that they serve you for long.
 
INSTRUCTIONS

1. Do not clean the glasses when they are dry. Cleaning the lens while they are dry can leave marks and scratches on the surface, which gets worse with time. Lens cleaning solutions are easily available in our optical section for this purpose, but even simple water can do the job. The cloth used to clean the glasses should not be a rough one. We provide microfibre cloths which are very soft and are purpose made. Keep this piece of cloth in the casing of the glasses and use it to clean them frequently to remove dust and marks. In any case do not use your shirt sleeve, jacket or paper towels to clean them.
   
   
2. While commercial eyeglass cleaners do a splendid job, a soap and water solution can also be used to wash and clean glasses. Dip the microfiber cloth in the solution, clean the glasses and rinse them with clean water. Let them dry well before use.
3. When the glasses are not in use, keep them in a casing. Most eyeglasses come in their own pouches and cases. These are helpful in protecting them from impact and dust collection when not in use. Hardcover cases are better than soft pouches as they provide protection from any falls and crashes. Do not keep the glasses on places like the sofa and bed where there is a greater chance of people and even you sitting down on them and crushing them.
4. The frames of eyeglasses tend to loosen with every day wear. To prolong their life, tighten them after every few months with a small screwdriver. If you are hesitant to do it, bring the eyeglasses to us. We will do the job for you in a professional manner. If loose frames are ignored for long, they will just come off and the glasses will be damaged.
   
   
5. HOW TO MANAGE OCULAR (EYE) EMERGENCIES

• CONJUNCTIVA AND CORNEAL FOREIGN BODY
  • Evert lids, irrigate with clean water (over a running tap), and refer to the hospital as soon as possible.
• CORNEAL LACERATION
  • Pad and refer for surgery as soon as possible.
• PENETRATING INJURY
  • Do not remove object. Pad and refer for surgery as soon as possible.
• RUPTURE GLOBE
  • Pad the eye and refer for surgery as soon as possible.
• ACID/ALKALI (CHEMICAL INJURY)
• Alkali penetrates, more dangerous- immediate copious irrigation with clean water- frequently, over 30minutes.
• Refer to the hospital as soon as possible
• PAINFUL RED EYES
• This calls for an urgent attention in the hospital. So please refer immediately to the eye hospital
• SUDDEN PAINFUL OR PAINLESS LOSS OF VISION
• What are you waiting for? Hurry to the hospital.
• SEVERE PAIN IN THE OPERATED EYE
• Make sure your eye drops are still available
• Call the hospital number and get ready to go to the hospital immediately.