WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR EYES THIS SUMMER
Your eyes are among your most important organs. Your eyes not only let you see shapes and depth and millions of colors, but also help manage the light signals that keep your body’s internal clock running properly.
Your eyes are also among the most vulnerable parts of your body, and they need your protection to maintain and improve your eyesight
1. Wear Sunglasses with Complete Ultraviolet Protection
Let’s start with the obvious one – sunglasses. You already know that you should protect your skin from ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and our eyes need similar protection. UVR comes from the sun and may also be reflected off surfaces such as water or sand.
The best way to protect your eyes from UVR exposure is to purchase and consistently wear sunglasses with 100-percent protection against both UVA and UVB rays
2. Use Goggles at the Pool
If you have not gone swimming in a few months, the first dip into the pool can feel awful on your eyes. The chlorine, designed to protect you from exposure to germs, has the potential to hurt your eyes. The simplest solution for protection is to wear goggles every time you go to swim in a pool. This also applies to swimming in the ocean or other natural bodies of water, as they contain other contaminants that may hurt your eyes.
3. Wash Hands and Avoid Rubbing Your Eyes
Studies indicate that the best way to protect yourself from the spread of communicable disease is simply to wash your hands on a regular basis. This practice is crucial to avoid contracting eye-related conditions such as conjunctivitis.
4. Wear Hats
Even if you wear sunglasses every time you go outside, you are not offering complete UVR protection to your eyes and eyelids. Sunglasses usually have gaps along the sides where UVR exposure occurs. While you wear your sunglasses, minimize your risk and add a hat with a brim at least 3 inches wide. Consistent use of hats and sunglasses significantly decrease your UVR exposure.
5. Protect Against Chemicals
While people are more likely to sustain chemical burns to their eyes while at work, there are several opportunities to hurt your eyes in non-occupational tasks, as well.
- Hand or body soap bubbles that pop near your eyes
- Spray paint that blows back into your face
- Splashing cleaning solutions
6. Keep Children Safe and Start Young with Eye Protection
Too many people realize in adulthood that they should have thought of protecting their eyes when they were young. It is never too early to start with your children, however. The World Health Organization notes that as much as 80 percent of a person’s lifetime UVR exposure occurs prior to the age of 18.
7. Wear eye protection during outdoor activities
If you have ever had dust or sand in your eye, you know that chemical exposure is not the only environmental threat to your eyes. You should try to protect yourself, as much as practically possible, from contact with foreign bodies that can cause abrasions to your eye.
8. Eat Healthy and Drink Plenty of Water
You may be surprised to learn that what you eat has the power to affect how well you see. It’s not just carrots.
There are many foods rich in nutrients that improve your eyesight and help prevent the development of long-term vision problems. Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants known to help resist macular degeneration and cataracts. Adding a supplement or foods high in Vitamin C, Vitamin E and zinc can assist those with symptoms of age-related macular degeneration.
During the summer, people are more likely to become dehydrated, which can affect their eyes. Serious dehydration makes it harder for the body to produce tears, leading to dry eye symptoms and other vision problems. Drinking plenty of water each day can prevent and reverse many of the negative effects of dehydration, as well as providing fluid for normal eye function.
9. Get Adequate Sleep
Although you know how important it is to get a good night’s rest, you may find it hard to get the sleep you need, particularly with a busy lifestyle. However, your eyes are counting on you to be rested.
10. Use eye drops
Sometimes, despite your best attempts, you need to use some kind of eye drops to minimize pain or manage other eye problems.
you should also consult a qualified ophthalmologist to know about required eye drops.
