HEALTH : Care for your Eyes

Eyes are the choicest gift of nature bestowed upon man. It is through our eyes only that we can enjoy the wonders of the world. It works like a camera, where rays coming from an object are focused on the retina via the lens. The impression is carried from retina through the optic nerves to the brain’s optic cortex. This part tells a person what he is seeing, i.e. interpretation of the image. All this happens in minutest part of fraction and we know immediately what we are seeing. Once if this perfect faultless system is spoilt, it can be corrected by various procedures but the normal natural eye sight is never restored. Good care of the eyes is therefore imperative to keep it in good condition for a long time. Correct reading habit is important to avoid strain to the eyes. Light should fall on the book in front, instead from behind, so that shadow does not fall on the page being read. Same applies while working on computers. After reading or working on computers for a long time, eyes should be closed for few moments with both hands to provide relaxation. If one feels eye pain after working for few hours, going out in fresh air is also useful. Working for a long time in artificially illuminated rooms is not healthy for the eyes as they lose their natural power of accommodation for distance. This is a disadvantage of working in air conditioned rooms which have artificial lights. Similarly, watching videos or computers for several hours continuously makes a person short sighted as the faculty to use far sight is reduced. This is the reason why with increasing affluence, youngsters are increasingly seen to be wearing spectacles. It is not good to read in a moving vehicle as the jerks strain the eye muscles. But someone fond of reading cannot resist to read while travelling. Eyes are always exposed to dust and other irritants present in the atmosphere throughout waking time. Therefore washing the eyes with copious cold water is good to keep the eyes clean and cool. Infrared rays of the sun are damaging to the eyes. Early premature cataracts are known to develop in persons who work in strong sun most of the time. Wearing dark glasses to avoid direct exposure of the eyes to sun is a precaution which should be taken by all. But one should be careful to see that there should be no scratches on the lens of the sun glasses or even reading glasses for that matter. Because any scratches on the lens will put the eyes to further stress. Eyes are one of the target organs of the body to be damaged by chronic high blood pressure and diabetes. There can be visual field defects and sudden blindness. A person suffering from hypertension and or diabetes needs to keep the condition very well controlled to avoid these complications of vision. Diet lacking in Vitamin A leads to night blindness, where one finds it increasingly difficult to see after dark. Vitamin B.complex is necessary for strength of eye muscles which help the person to adjust and enable a person to see far and near both. A diet containing whole grain, fresh green vegetables, carrots, fruits like guava and citrus fruits, e.t.c. is useful for good health of eyes. People take up walking, gym, swimming, e.t.c. exercises for fitness of the body. But these exercises do not make the eyes strong. One needs to do specific exercises for the eyes to maintain or strengthen their function if weak. Any infection or injury of the eye should never be neglected, because it can lead to irreparable damage. By following such simple precautions one can keep his/her eyes in good condition for most of the life. rachna212002@yahoo.co.uk