Protecting Our Eyes
“Would you rather lose your sense of smell, or your sense of sight?” Have you ever played “What Would You Rather” and ended up with a question like this? I sure have! This made me rethink and put something that I would otherwise take for granted into perspective… My eyesight.
How important is our sense of sight?
Our eyes actually play a crucial role in our general wellbeing and quality of life. Most people rely on their eyesight to see and make sense of the world around them. Our world is made up of a vast variety of colours, shapes, and patterns, and the gift of sight helps to facilitate the connection between us and our surroundings. The gift also allows us to perceive and assess movement and motion.
Vision impairment and how to prevent it
At least 2.2 billion people globally have some type of vision impairment, and at least 1 billion of these cases could have been prevented, or have yet to be addressed. These vision impairment includes old sighted (presbyopia), cataract, and refractive error (including myopia)*.
*Study by The World health Organisation
It is important that we identify and treat eye related issues as early as possible. A way to that is to get professional advice from our healthcare provider. To maintain healthy vision, this is how often you should get your eyes checked:
• Ages 18 to 60
Comprehensive eye examination at least once every two years
• Ages 61 and older
Comprehensive eye examination every year
• People who are “at risk” or “high risk”
Comprehensive eye examination at least once every year, or as recommended by a healthcare provider
Healthy eye habits
Here are some things that we can adopt in our daily commute to cultivate healthy eye habits:
1. Eat a healthy, balanced diet
You should include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet, especially those that have a deep yellow colour to it, or are green and leafy. Due to their high amounts of dietary carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin), these foods are able to help with our general eye health. Foods that are high in lutein and zeaxanthin includes carrots, oranges, and spinach.
2. UV protection
Sun exposure can damage your eyes and increase your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. You can protect your eyes by using sunglasses that can block out UV radiation.
3. Take eye breaks
Our eyes tend to get tired after spending too much time in front of a screen. A lot of the time, we do not blink as much as we normally do when staring at screens. This causes our eyes to be dry and strained. In order to reduce eyestrain, you can try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet (approx. 6m) into the distance for 20 seconds.
4. Proper reading condition
Ensure that your reading and working space is lit up adequately. Keep your reading materials at least 35cm away from your eyes. This will help to reduce eyestrain.
5. Exercise regularly
Exercising can help to prevent and control diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. These diseases can lead to eye related problems. By exercising regularly, you can lower the risk of getting these health issue, hence, also reducing your risk of eye related troubles.
6. Regular eye checks
Some eye diseases can be inherited, and as you age, you are also at a higher risk of developing age-related eye diseases and conditions. It is important to do regular eye check-ups in order to identify and treat eye diseases as early as possible.
LIFE ROOTS Clarus Eye Capsule contains active ingredients such as bilberry, marigold, Haematococcus pluvialis, and artichoke. This blend of ingredients work together to help support clear vision, improve energy, focus, and improving overall eye health.
You have beautiful eyes, don’t ever lose them
We might not be quick to appreciate our sense of sight because we can get complacent about something that we are so used to. However, once we lose our sight, we can never get it back. Let’s be vigilant in the maintenance of our eye health, and not take such a special gift for granted.
