Improving vision is a goal for many people who care about their overall quality of life. There are various methods, ranging from preventive measures to surgical procedures, that can help achieve better eyesight and keep your eyes in good condition. Let’s take a look at what clearly benefits our eyes.
Adequate Rest
Give your eyes enough rest and relaxation. During the waking day, when they are strained mostly by the radiation from various screens and monitors, help them with the short “20-20-20” exercise. This involves looking at an object at least 20 meters away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. When working at a computer, make a conscious effort to blink. Staring at screens makes us blink less often; we keep our eyes fixed longer on the monitor or the task at hand, and don’t blink enough.
This natural moisturizing for the eyes is missing, so blinking is important to ensure sufficient hydration. Besides less frequent blinking, eyes can dry out also due to insufficient fluid intake. Pay attention to your drinking regime, especially to drinking enough clean water. If you still feel dryness in your eyes, which paradoxically can cause tearing or stinging, reach for artificial tears—they provide the necessary moisture. At the end of the day, your eyes will appreciate enough sleep. After a whole day’s work, they should regenerate during at least 8 hours of sleep, just like other organs in the human body.
Diet, Exercise, and Vitamins
We might say this applies not only to eyes—and that’s true. A healthy diet, enough physical activity, targeted exercises, and vitamins benefit health in general. But focusing on the eyes, we recommend intake of vitamins A, C, and E, ideally naturally through food. Did you know that zinc also supports eye health? Include citrus fruits, nuts, spinach, or salmon in your diet—each contains vitamins good for your eyes. Spinach also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, important antioxidants that protect our eyes from harmful blue light and macular degeneration.
Photo: freepik.com
Among exercises that have a beneficial effect on our eyes are simple movements such as looking sideways or up and down, circular eye movements, or focusing on different distances. Palming is a technique where warmed hands are placed on closed eyes to relieve tension. These exercises are not considered treatments for eye diseases, but they positively influence the eye muscles, contribute to visual comfort, and help reduce eye fatigue.
Care and Regular Check-ups
Today, we cannot really avoid exposure to screen radiation. If possible, regulate the time you spend looking at screens because they emit blue light, which causes eye fatigue and may contribute to sleep disturbances. A good solution, besides monitoring screen time, is using blue light filters. Speaking of radiation, let’s move on to sunlight. Besides its warming sensation and many benefits for people, sun rays can damage the retina and cornea.
Protect your eyes from sunlight with quality sunglasses that have UV filters, especially during the summer months when the sun is strongest. Besides your own effort and care, don’t forget regular medical check-ups and entrust your eyes to specialists. Regular preventive comprehensive eye exams are the key to maintaining healthy vision. If you experience any problems with your eyes, don’t hesitate to schedule an examination.
Photo: Archive of Dr. Böhm’s Eye Center