Being the most sensitive and minute organ of human body, eyes deserve to be looked after and cared rather regularly. Any neglect, even if minor, may result in some permanent infirmity or disease. Certain situations and diseases are not avoidable and, thus, cannot and must not be managed by a person himself, except by sane and timely guidance and treatment of an expert.
But, in most of other cases, proper and regular health of eyes can be easily ensured through regulated self management where help from other sources is not called for. It is one of most precious organs of human body and is capable of serving you like an ardent and obedient companion, if you serve it well. Hence in order that your eyes may serve faithfully and continuously throughout life (or, at least, through major portion of life), they deserve to be looked after well.
Following factors can, so to say, ensure healthy and disease-free eyes/vision:
□ Hygiene and general care
□ Balanced and nutritious diet
□ Environmental hazards
□ Protective and corrective devices
□ Regular check-up
□ Abstention from use of harmful food items
□ Regular physical activity/exercise
□ Avoidance of medicines
□ Use of medicines, in eye troubles (under medical advice).
HYGIENE AND GENERAL CARE
Personal hygiene should always be a matter of regular habit and not a lopsided or emergent approach. Any organ of body, which we use to assist us in our daily chores needs and deserves to be kept up well. It is the pace and mode of maintenance that actually matters and not how much money is spent for upkeep thereof. All the organs of body are interdependent and no organ is so efficient that it could function of its own, without any aid from other organs.
Let us admit, without any fear of being contradicted that nutrition is the edifice on which entire structure of our body rests. It is the very foundation that provides sustenance to human body. Howsoever one may use costly foods but if such foods do not give adequate and requisite calories to the body, even the best ways to maintain high standards of hygiene won’t be able to take care of our organs—and not in the least of our eyes. If eyes are desired to be kept in good humour to serve our body, following steps may be adhered to regularly:
□ Wash the eyes by splashing fresh and cold water over them, at least twice or thrice daily. Water used should be neat, clean and free from impurities and harmful germs.
□ Never use hot or even lukewarm water to clean the eyes, except when medically advised.
□ When you are to move out, wash your eyes properly but never wipe them. If possible, use a soft towel to dry up water and moisture.
□ Whenever eyes are touched, clean your hands first and then touch the eyes because, being very tender and sensitive, eyes instantly react to even minor infections.
□ Whenever you are back from your place of work, splash water over your eyes and, in summer, place a water-soaked towel. A pair of eye glass cups is the most appropriate mode to divest the eyes of foreign matters that might have entered therein.
□ Dust is the chief monster that creates multiple infections in the eyes. In order to protect the eyes from dust, scorching sun-rays and direct sunlight, smoke and other foreign bodies entry, goggles of a very high quality should be used. It is misplaced and an unfounded belief that goggles used by ladies and gents are used as a status symbol or to add to one’s personality. Diseases do not discriminate between sexes, those can occur infect anyone, at anytime. Even if use of goggles is construed to be symbol of fashion, they serve the purpose of eye protection also.
□ Not only in summer, but also in cold winter conditions, snow-fall, cold lashing winds, emittance of toxins and gases in the air, use of goggles would serve to protect the eyes from fall-out ill effects of such abnormally injurious and harmful situations.
□ Those who use spectacles are advised to use coloured glasses, especially in extreme conditions of heat, cold, dust raising winds, exposure to harmful objects.
□ Periodical check-up of vision will ensure as to where the eye-sight stands. If the doctor advises use of glasses, never delay use thereof, as delay may cause further rise in the number of glasses. Remember; ‘A stitch in time saves nine’ the earlier you act, the better it is.
□ If any visual disturbance is ever noticed, at once seek guidance of a physician.
□ Never use your eyes at a stretch, rather give rest to your eyes while reading, writing, driving, doing some close/fine job-work. Rest does not mean deviation or switching over to some other work where also eye-sight is required to be used. For instance, if you are using your eye-sight for a longer span, thus causing fatigue and strain to the eyes, it all would result in aching which in itself, is a clear warning signal for you to stop your work, whatever be its nature. If you suspend your work at hand but switch-over to watching TV or reading a newspaper or some magazine, you are not resting your eyes, rather you are using your eyes for a different work, thus further adding to eye-strain.
□ If, in the midst of doing work, you should take your eyes off your work and close them gently and also give gentle palm massage to them, and you will feel much relieved. A short pause and rest will again enable you to engage yourself.
□ Washing the eyes with cold water or having a short nap will give much desired rest to your tired and overtaxed eyes.
□ While taking bath or while washing your face, extreme care should be taken so that soap does not gain entry into the eyes.
□ Never rub the eyes when some dust particle or any other foreign matter enters into it. In such situations use a pair of eye-glass cups filled to 2/3 rd of capacity, and frequently rotate your eye-balls (by blinking). If you opt to rub with hand or a hanky, you will simply cause even grievous injury to soft parts of the eye. If all the said methods fail to yield any relief, at once seek help of your doctor.
In this respect, I have quite often heard some suggestions of some persons, according to whom rub the opposite (unaffected) eye, consequent upon a foreign body entry into either of the eyes, and the particle would automatically exit from the other eye. This I have myself tried, and the results have been identical to the ones claimed and eulogised by the motivators. But, when both the eyes are affected, the said method won’t prove useful.
□ Never touch your eyes when your hands are in direct contact with any object, say while eating, drinking, doing any manual work, attending to the calls of nature, operating machinery, using chemicals, lubricants, playing games, bearing in mind that dirty hands not only carry hazards of infections but eyes can also be exposed to serious disorders.
□ Never use any root or antimony ground into fine powder, though there is hardly any cogent reason to forbid their use. In certain cases, use of such age-old and time-tested devices, is said to cause perceptible infection in the eyes, like itching, swelling, redness, watering etc. To label a well-tried device which has stood the test of time, so far, should not be condemned simply because some persons get infected. But, in all fairness, use of Kajal/Surma is not advisable in case of infants, persons with defective and weak eye-sight. Individual sensitivity to the basic ingredients cannot be ruled out; hence use them with utmost caution and care.