Seeing is Believing: Tips to Maintaining Healthy Eye Sight

 Our eyes allows us to observe our surrounding world fully. We can judge distance, observe colors and identify things by various traits. Good eyesight allows us to drive safely, step over that “present” from your neighbor’s dog, and to not run into that closed door when you're in a rush. Those who have lost their eyesight now have multiple technologies to still interact with the world. There are now braille keyboards for computers that allow the user to type in braille. There are even smaller mobile versions that can be used with a smart phone! For those have the gift of sight, we need to be mindful of the health of our eyes. Many daily activities can be less harmful in the long run with a few tips.

Everyday use of smartphones is already high and over the course of time, can only grow more. Staring at such small screens for long periods of time can cause strain on our eyes. Roughly 70% of adults in studies have show, at some point, digital eye strain. Most studies on cell phone use and eye health show that 10-20 minute breaks from your phone are essential.

For anyone who wears contact lenses, the easiest thing to do to help your eyesight is to take your lenses out at night. Leaving contact lenses in your eyes overnight results in numerous eye infections. The constant infections can damage your eyesight over time. Another lesser known tip to keep your eyes healthy is to not rub them. Rubbing your eyes increases your eye pressure. Now an occasional rub is ok, but if spring allergies are bad you may declare an all out war on your eyes. A continuous couple of months of rubbing your eyes every year can result in some consistent damage over time. The best solution is a cold wet washcloth placed over your eyes or a quick splash of cold water around your eyes. Caffeine also increases eye pressure and 5 or more cups a day in some studies has shown to be detrimental.

Overall, there are numerous ways to cut down on damage to eye health, many not mentioned in this article. I know personally I take some of my senses for granted and more recently have focused more on my overall longevity. I encourage every reader to evaluate their daily routine and slowly roll out changes. Your future self will definitely thank you! ‘Til next type - M.