Protect your eyes: prevent blindness
Published:Wednesday | October 7, 2020 | 12:16 AM
October is celebrated globally as ‘Blindness Prevention Month’.
According to the Lions Club of Mona, blindness is the inability to see anything at all, including light.
Annually, the first Thursday in October is observed as ‘World Sight Day’. This year, World Sight Day will be celebrated tomorrow, under the theme: ‘Hope in Sight’. The more than 200 Lions Clubs globally will be spreading the word – ‘Protect your eyes, prevent blindness’.
When was the last time you had your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist?
Here are 10 tips to protect your eyes and prevent blindness.
1. Have regular eye examination to detect vision problems early, for example, cataract.
2. Quit smoking. Smoking can lead to vision loss later in life – studies show smoking increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and dry eye syndrome.
3. Preserve your eyesight from the rays of the sun by wearing sunglasses.
4. Working on a computer all day will give you dry eyes. Get up every now and again and look at the beautiful scenery and just take a break.
5. Diabetes is the top cause of blindness, so check your blood sugar regularly.
6. Eat a diet rich in fruits and green leafy vegetables. Research shows that the nitrates in green leafy vegetables can convert to nitric acid, which can improve blood flow and so regulate the pressure inside the eye – the risk of glaucoma.
7. Brush, floss and visit your dentist regularly. Study shows that periodontal disease may trigger an inflammatory response that can contribute to glaucoma.
8. Avoid head down position during yoga. Head down position increases eye pressure and therefore the risk for glaucoma.
9. Maintain healthy body weight. Research shows that individuals with a high BMI are at risk for diabetes, and diabetes puts you at risk for glaucoma.
10. Drink less coffee. Drink tea instead. The antioxidants and flavonoids in tea can help improve the body’s ability to prevent the harmful effects of free radical damage.