Category: Whole Body Health

The eye is a very delicate and fragile part of the body. According to one study on distance vision, about 188.5 million individuals are said to suffer from mild vision impairment, 217 million individuals suffer from moderate and severe impairment while 36 million individuals are blind. For near vision impairment, there are about 826 million individuals suffering. In all, there are about 1.3 billion people living with one of these impairments.

While a lot of people are aware that the eyes are an integral part of the body system, most of them do not pay very close attention to taking care of their eyes and are, in essence, taking it for granted. As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” and therefore, we have decided to take the necessary steps to provide you with information on how to best to take care of your eyesight.
Below are ways to keep your eyes safe:

1. Eat Healthy
Eating a healthy diet is a very integral part of keeping the eyes healthy. Nutrients like lutein, vitamins E and C, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc may help in preventing eye-related problems like cataracts and macular degeneration. These nutrients can be found in vegetables like collards, kale, spinach, fish like tuna, salmon, and halibut, as well as in beans, nuts, eggs, oranges, pork, and oysters.

Besides eating meals rich in nutrients, it is equally important to eat a well-balanced diet. Obesity can cause diabetes and other medical conditions, leading to blindness or glaucoma. Obesity is also regarded as the chief cause of blindness across the globe which should raise a red flag to watch your weight. You can always visit your doctor to get help with drafting a healthy eating plan.

2. Know your family’s medical history
Eye issues are usually hereditary which is why it is important to collect a family history on any diseases that may affect eye health and then report them to your eye doctor. This will help to determine your chances of any future eye conditions as well as come up with an action plan for future eye exams.

3. Avoid Smoking
Smoking, in general, is harmful to your overall health. In regards to your eyes, it can cause macular degeneration, destroy the optic nerve, and cause cataracts. It can even lead to vision loss. Quitting smoking if you already smoke, or better yet, not even starting, will be extremely beneficial to your overall health and wellness.

4. Wear Sunglasses
Sunglasses are more than just fashion accessories, they are vital in protecting the eyes from ultraviolet rays emitted from the sun. UV rays can cause macular degeneration and even cataracts which is why it is important to wear sunglasses that protect against 99% -100% of UV rays.

5. Obey workplace safety precautions
It is important we wear protective eye gears when engaging in sporting activities or jobs that could be harmful to the eyes. Such eyewear includes safety goggles, glasses, and helmets. Most of these protectors are from polycarbonates, which is a much stronger material than plastic.

6. Rest your eyes
Just like our bodies, the eyes also need rest to perform optimally. Depriving yourself of adequate sleep and rest can have an adverse effect on the eyes. During the use of the computer, remember to rest the eyes for at least 20 seconds after every 20 minutes by looking away from the screen. Doing this will reduce eye strain.

7. Visit your eye doctor regularly
Getting regular eye exams is one of the most important things you can do for your eye health. Conditions like glaucoma are much easier to treat if they are discovered early so don’t stay far from your doctor. 
 

First Aid

Eye injuries can happen at any time and it is good to know how to handle such emergencies until you can reach a medical professional.

• If you get hit on the eyes, you should put a shield like a Styrofoam cup on the bone of the eyes. Avoid putting pressure on the eye
• If something enters your eyes, avoid removing it as it may lead to the tearing of important tissue in the eyes. A Styrofoam cup would also do the job here until you can get to a medical professional.
• In the case of a black eye, putting an ice pack on the eye will help to reduce bruising and swelling
• If it’s a chemical burn, rinse the eyes with clean water for about 30 minutes, holding your head beneath the tap. While rinsing, keep your eyes wide open, rolling your eyeballs in all directions so as to ensure the water gets to every part.
   

So give some of these tips a try and remember to schedule regular eye exams. Prevention is always a better alternative to trying to find a cure.

It is common knowledge that exercise plays a critical role in healthy living. Exercise can help improve energy levels, lower blood pressure, aid in weight loss, helps to build muscle and so much more. But one benefit of exercise that is not as well known is the profound impact on your eyesight. 

Based on recent research, eye conditions are usually a direct result of a health issue such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol level, etc. While some of these diseases are unavoidable, exercising regularly can definitely help in the prevention of these diseases and in doing so, help keep the eyes healthy. In addition to physical exercise, there are even some eye exercises that can be done to keep your vision healthy. Some examples are focusing on certain points, rolling your eyes in different directions, writing with the eyes, etc.
 

Cataracts And Exercise

According to a study in 2003 and another in 2006, a relationship was discovered between an increase in exercise and a decrease in cataract. It emphasized that there is a greater chance for cataract if there is an absence of physical activity. This implies that taking a light walk or jog around your house or on a field track consistently can contribute to the fight against cataracts.
 

Macular Degeneration And Exercise

According to one study, exercising three times or more on a weekly basis reduces ones’ chances of developing exudative macular degeneration. Exudative macular degeneration occurs when blood vessels grow beneath the retina that are not needed and then leak fluid and blood into the eyes.
 

Glaucoma And Exercise

One major cause in the development of glaucoma is an increase in ocular perfusion pressure. Very light exercises like jogging or walking at least three times weekly helps to reduce the intraocular pressure and improves the flow of blood to the optic nerve and retina.
 

The Benefit Of Eye Exercises

• Protects against dry eyes. Eye exercises help maintain and improve the fluid level in the eyes, thus eliminating the probability of dry eyes because as the eyes are being exercised say by rotation, there is the tendency that fluid is produced.
• Reduces eye strain and tension. Exercising the eyes daily helps in reducing the strain and tension that has been placed on the muscle. Exercises like rolling the eyes and writing with the eyes help in the contracting and relaxing of the eye muscles. Long hours of study or use of a computer can cause blurry vision, but through exercise, clarity can be achieved by eliminating tension and unnecessary pressure.
• Make the eye muscles flexible. Exercises like shifting and swinging the muscles of the eyes help promote flexibility in the muscles of the eyes. Just like exercise helps the body muscles, the same thing applies to eye exercises.

• Correction of lazy eye. A lazy eye is a condition in which one of the eyes is not as sharp as the other. Meaning that one eye works better than the other causing imbalance in vision. This usually happens among younger people. Through eye exercising, a lazy eye can be developed and made to function the same way the other works.
• Enhances concentration. There are some individuals that find it difficult to focus on an object because it takes them a longer time than others. Exercises like focusing and writing on the wall can help enhance the concentration level of the eyes.
• Improves eyesight. Generally, the goal of eye exercises is to have healthy eyesight. All the various exercises of the eye are directed towards different parts of the eyes, enhancing overall vision and clarity.
   

All these exercises play a major role in the development of the eyes. Engaging in physical exercises can help reduce your chances of having bad eyesight by decreasing your risk of health issues like diabetes, blood pressure, etc.  All you need is to be consistent to achieve results.

An Aspirin A Day, Or Just Get Your Eyes Checked

If you were to run a couple of miles every day for a week, you might notice your legs are particularly sore come Saturday. You might even notice they’re pretty sore after that first run! You’ve been around the block enough times to know when you’ve worked your leg muscles pretty good, it’s inevitable that they’ll be a little sore. You can stretch your hamstrings and quadriceps to relieve some of the pressure, but unfortunately, not all muscles are as accessible to stretching and relief.

Most of our muscles tighten when strained, and release when relaxed, and they don’t generally lead to chronic, seemingly disparate conditions like frequent headaches; but unlike your hamstrings, if you’re overworking your eye muscles, headaches, sometimes debilitating ones, can be the unfavorable result.
 

Overwork, Or Something Else?

Overworking and straining your eyes could be a result of reading in poor or insufficient light, reading print that is too small and without corrective lenses, continuous exposure to bright light, or simply staring at a computer screen too long. In that case, adjusting your working and reading conditions, or simply taking a break could solve your problem, but if you’re problem persists, you’ll want to make an appointment with your eye doctor.

Anytime your eyes are asked to work harder than they usually would, the strain can result in aching, tired eyes, blurred vision, and headaches. Often times headaches can be an indication that there is something more going on than simply binge-watching Netflix for eight hours straight.
 

What’s Causing Your Headache?

A routine eye exam will be able to identify common eye conditions that may be responsible for persistent headaches, conditions which can be easily exacerbated by the conditions we mentioned earlier: bright or dim lighting, too much time in front of a computer, etc.

These conditions can continue to get worse, causing more headaches and declining vision over time, if left untreated.

• Astigmatism, in which the cornea is not properly shaped, and requires you to squint in order to focus your vision.
• Hyperopia, or farsightedness.
• Myopia, or nearsightedness.
• Presbyopia is a condition in which the lens has become hard and inflexible with age, making it difficult to focus.
   

Fast Acting, Long-Lasting Relief: Eyeglasses!

First things first, if you’re experiencing frequent headaches, tiredness, aching eyes, or blurred vision, make an eye exam appointment today. If it turns out that your headaches and the strain on your eye muscles are caused by a common eye condition, your optometrist will either recommend contact lenses or eyeglasses to correct your vision and solve your problem.

If you’re already wearing contacts or glasses and you’re still suffering from frequent headaches, it may be time to step up your prescription. Just because you’re already wearing glasses, doesn’t mean your eyes aren’t working harder than they need to. You may be able to see clearly with your current prescription, but you may be asking your eyes to work overtime so you can do so.

Just like you want to wear the right shoes for running, you want to have the right prescription for seeing.

Take care of all your muscles, get your eyes checked regularly, see clearly, and be headache-free…finally!

Regular comprehensive eye examinations are a vital component of every effective diabetes management plan. Why? The very mechanisms that define diabetes — insulin problems and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) — can progressively damage your eyes and lead to vision loss or even blindness.

Preventing diabetes-related eye complications and vision loss starts successful blood sugar control, an ongoing process built on a solid understanding of what insulin does for your body. 

Preventing diabetes-related eye complications and vision loss starts successful blood sugar control, an ongoing process built on a solid understanding of what insulin does for your body. 

Let’s take a closer look at the role insulin plays in your body, and what poorly controlled blood sugar levels can mean for your eye health and vision. 

TWO TYPES OF INSULIN PROBLEMS

Insulin problems fall into two categories: insufficient insulin excretion, and ineffective use of the insulin that is excreted. Both these problems lead to diabetes: 

TYPE 1 DIABETES

This rarer type of diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to meet your body’s needs. Often diagnosed in childhood, many experts consider type 1 diabetes to be an autoimmune disorder. 

TYPE 2 DIABETES 

Type 2 diabetes accounts for up to 95% of diabetes cases in the United States. With this insulin problem, body cells stop responding normally to insulin — a condition called insulin resistance — causing your pancreas to produce more insulin in an effort to elicit cellular response.

HOW DIABETES AFFECTS EYE HEALTH 

All people with type 1 diabetes, and many people with type 2 diabetes, must take insulin to control their blood sugar. Unfortunately, the chronically high blood sugar levels of prediabetes and poorly controlled diabetes can undermine your health — and your vision — over time.

Specifically, diabetes can systematically: 

• Decrease blood, oxygen, and nutrient flow to ocular tissues 
• Damage the tiny blood vessels of your retinas, causing leakage 
• Prompt swelling in the central area of the retina (macula)
• Undermine water (lacrimal) gland and oil (meibomian) gland function
• Decrease tear production (tear quantity) and adhesion (tear quality)
• Damage ocular nerves, including the nerve bundle that forms the optic nerve
• Cause the accelerated buildup of vision-clouding deposits on the ocular lens

Diabetic eye disease is an umbrella term for a group of eye complications that can develop with the damage that uncontrolled or long-term diabetes can cause. Diabetes elevates your risk of developing: 

• Diabetic retinopathy
• Retinal detachment
• Diabetic macular edema
• Open-angle glaucoma
• Early-onset cataracts
• Dry eye syndrome (DES)

While the gradual, wide-ranging ocular damage caused by diabetes is more likely to occur with poorly controlled blood sugar levels, diabetes-related eye and vision complications also become more likely the longer you have diabetes — even if it’s properly managed. 

SAFEGUARD YOUR VISION TODAY

Most people don’t experience vision loss from high blood sugar levels in the short term, but the ocular complications of uncontrolled or long-term diabetes can be very serious.