Eyes health

Eye is an important organ of body which is used for vision. Vision makes a person able to watch and understand his surroundings. Sight is primary sense of a person which makes him to understand his environment and makes decisions accordingly. One can say that eyes have key role in determining what body is going to do in response of any stimulus.

It is to be said that eyes are windows to the soul. So eyes health is crucial to maintain this window of vision. It is essential for daily routine work and activities like reading, writing, and enjoying the nature and beauty around us. Eye is not just important to watch but they are integral part of overall wellbeing and to make quality of life better.

Eye Health Matters

1. Eyes health is integral part of us. We need vision to perform everyday tasks like reading, writing, driving, recognizing and managing things.
2. Vision is essential for being independent. Without eyes one cannot perform very simpler tasks like walking or to find things of his use.
3. Good vision is essential for safety as well. If one is having poor sight there are more chances of meeting accidents and injuries. Because person will not be able to operate and watch his surroundings so the risk of mishaps increases.
4. When a person is having poor vision it contributes to frustration and depression as person will get into isolation to avoid accidents. Good vision contributes to better cognitive health.

Vitamins Essential for Eye Health

Eyes are vital for person appearance and well-being. So to keep eyes healthy is matter of great importance. Here is a list of vitamins which are essential for eyes health.

1.     Function of Vitamin A

Vitamin A performs following roles in the functioning and health of eye.

Retinal function

Retina is a tissue present at the back of eye, and is sensitive to light. Vitamin A helps in maintaining health of retina as it produces rhodopsin. Rhodopsin is basically a pigment which is needed for low light vision.

Prevents Night Blindness

If person is deficient of vitamin A then it can lead to night blindness. In this condition person will not be able to watch things in low light. In severe cases its deficiency may lead to complete blindness. It is also needed to keep the cornea healthy.

Sources of Vitamin A

There are many sources to obtain vitamin A. These sources include both animal as well as plant sources for vitamin A. It is present in followings foods:

Liver

Eggs

Dairy products

Carrots

Sweet potatoes

Spinach

2.     Functions of Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and it is essential for eye health.

Antioxidant protection

There are free radicals present in body. They are very active and reactive. They react spontaneously to damage cells structure. Vitamin C converts these free radicals into inert form which prevents eye damage caused by these reactive radicals. It is necessary to have sufficient supply of vitamin C to reduce the risk cataracts and molecular degeneration caused by aging.

Collagen Formation

Vitamin C is helpful to keep blood vessels present in eyes healthy. It also has role to maintain structure of cornea and retina.

Sources of Vitamin C

There is sufficient amount of vitamin C present in many fruits and vegetables. Following are the main sources of vitamin C:

Oranges

Strawberries

Kiwi

Grapefruits

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Function of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is also a powerful antioxidant which protects eye from damage.

Antioxidant

As an antioxidant it also protects eye from damage and slowdowns the progression of age related eye diseases. It is also aid in slowing down the progression of AMD.

Sources of Vitamin E

The main sources of vitamin E are as follows:

Almonds

Sunflower seeds and oils

Hazelnut

Olive oil

Spinach

Kale

Tips to keep Eyes healthy

It is necessary to keep eyes healthy as they make us able to watch the world around and make us able to take decisions accordingly.

1.     Eat balance diet

It is recommended to take sufficient amount of vitamins A, C, E and minerals like zinc in your diet to keep eyes healthy. They help to protect eyes and slowdowns the age related degeneration of cells. They are also helpful in slowing down of AMD. These vitamins and mineral provides protection against free radicals because they act as antioxidant.

Water is complementary element for life. Life is impossible without water so it is very important to drink good amount of water as it provides hydration and prevents eyes from drying.

2.     Protection from Harmful Elements

It is essential to protect Eyes from harmful elements such as Ultraviolet (UV) rays coming from sun. For these purpose sunglasses provides best protection against UV rays. One can also use wide-brimmed hat to protect eyes from damage cause from these rays.

When someone is doing welding or construction work which may cause injury to eyes then it is necessary for them to use recommended goggles or glasses to protect eyes.

There is a chance of injury while doing work in chemical labs so it is advised to lab workers to wear recommended goggles to protect eyes from any harmful chemical.

3.     Managing Screen Time:

It is essential to maintain screen time because watching screen for longer period of time cause eye strain. Eye strain results in dryness and irritation in the eyes, and also cause blurred vision and headaches. So it is advised to take regular breaks from digital screens to maintain eyes health.

You may lower the brightness of screens and use protected glasses to reduce eye strain.

4.     Eye exercise

There are some exercises which are helpful to maintain eyes in good health. These exercises helpful in reducing eye strain, calms the muscles and reduces stiffness. This exercise also increase the blood circulation in the eye and reduces eyes strains and fatigues of muscles.

5.     Regular Eye Exam:

It is thought that regular checkup only includes vision test. It is a wrong concept. Regular eye exam includes proper checkup of eyes diseases and conditions that affect eyes health. If you go for regular eyes checkup then eye professional can detect early symptoms of any eye condition and timely treatment can be provided to keep eyes healthy.

One must go for regular checkup after every 1 year. But if any eye condition is detected than go for checkups as recommended by health care professional.

 Conclusion

It is essential to maintain eyes health as it is not only for good vision but it also ensures overall well-being. It is important to go for regular checkups, take healthy diet, protect them from harmful elements and manage your screen time. Exercises of eyes also improves the overall health of eyes.  it is better to take precautionary steps before it gets late.