Eyes are one of the five important sense organs of our body. The eyes keep on functioning constantly till we are awake. Hence it is essential to take care of our eyes to enable its proper functioning and maintaining good sight in older age.
Following care should be taken to keep our eyes healthy by natural way.
Cleaning:
In order to keep our eyes clean, cool and healthy, it is essential to clean our eyes to remove dirt and chemicals. Water is the best cleanser. It is required to splash cold water on eyes 4-5 times in a day. Adding 2-3 drops of rose water in water adds to the freshness of eyes. It is one of the most effective and easiest way to reduce strain of eyes.
Eating fresh fruits and veggies:
Fruits are rich source of essential vitamin and nutrients. Intake of water containing fruits like oranges, water melon, guava and cucumbers fulfill the vital requirements of Vitamin A,C and E of eyes. Lentils, carrots, peanuts and sunflower seeds are also good for eyes. We should avoid eating spicy and oily and salty foods. Sufficient intake of salads and green leafy vegetables should be included in meals.
Drinking enough water:
Drinking 8-10 glasses of water daily is critical to keep our eyes fresh. Water not only hydrates our body but also decreases the puffiness around eyes. Sometimes drinking plain water may be boring, in that case we may add lemon juice, honey, glucose powder to add taste to water and obtain instant energy.
Exercise daily:
Like our remaining parts of the body, our eyes also need regular exercise. The best time to exercise our eyes is early in the morning when we wake up. Looking from right to left and top to bottom by rolling our eyes is the best way to exercise our eyes. After doing this exercise, relax the eyes by closing them and placing hands on them. Care should be taken that weight of hands does not fall on eyes. This will relax our eyes and make our mind peaceful. Also we can massage our eyes slowly by rotating the fingers on eyelids from nose towards eyes . opening and closing the eyes for one minute constantly morning and evening also exercises the eyes.
Take ample sleep:
Sleep and rest are directly proportional to basic vision care. A regular 7-8 hours non-interrupted sleep is essential for sufficient amount of rest to the eyes. It is better to at defined time and wake up before sunrise for healthy eyes. Odd sleeping hours can put strain on eyes thus reducing eye sight.
Stay away from direct sunlight:
Direct sun rays are most harmful for eyes. Hence we should not avoid wearing sunglasses when moving out in sun especially in summer season. Direct sunlight is most probably responsible for cataract formation and macular degeneration. Also we should not splash water on eyes immediately after coming from direct sunlight. Let the sweat dry and then wash the eyes.
Use cucumber slices on eyelids:
Cucumber has an excellent property of water retention. Placing cucumber slices for 10 min on eyelids before sleeping is good source of relaxing the eyes thus reducing tiredness. Cucumber contains ascorbic acid and caffic acid which hydrates the eyes and reduce puffiness and also absorbs excess heat thus providing cool effect.
Avoid reading in dim light:
Reading in dim light puts strain on eyes thus causing damage to eyes. Whenever the eyes feel tired while reading or writing, we should immediately stop the work and take a break and relax by closing the eyes. Reading in intense or dim light puts extraordinary strain on eyes thus increasing the chances of using lenses.
Looking at screen or monitor for too long can be dangerous:
We should not look on the Television screen or monitor continuously for a long time. Glare from the screen can cause muscular fatigue. This may be due to resolution of screen being too bright or dim.