How to take care of your eyes? (especially during online classes and WFH)

There is a significant increase in screen time after this global pandemic which has increased problems like dry eyes, redness in the eyes, and headaches.

Your body is a combination of physical, mental, and emotional beings.

When your parents said "Carrots are good for your eyes", they were not wrong. We are what we eat. Almost 1/4th of the nutrients from the food are absorbed by our eye tissue.

Diet: 

 

 

Eating a variety of whole foods and omitting sweets and other junk foods will help ensure that you're getting a wide range of nutrients. The body can lose a significant amount of nutrients when we eat nutrient-poor foods.

For example, we lose vitamin B as our body tries to burn white sugar. No matter how wholesome and pure our food might be, other factors affect its nutrient content like how it is grown, how it is stored, and how it is cooked, etc. What your body absorbs can be different depending on your age, health, activity, and stress levels also can affect what your body needs and how well it's using the nutrients from your diet.

For example, both aging and reduced liver health are associated with increasing eye problems because they reduce the absorption and utilization of key nutrients from food.
 

Emotional health:

Emotions can cause a release of chemicals in the brain. Negative emotions can affect organs. (Notice how when you are nervous, you have the urge to poop)

So how do emotions affect the eyes?

The research was made on the eyes where people were made to cry by making them watch an emotional movie and their tears were collected. Again their tears were collected by making them cut onions.

It is observed that tears caused during the movie had more protein. It was also discovered that both the tears had chemicals called ACTH(adrenocorticotropic hormone- which the body releases during stress) and leucine enkephalin(a compound that helps relieve pain)

Fun fact: Women cry more than men. Tears have prolactin which is a hormone that helps in the production of milk.

Thus we cry to reduce stress caused by chemicals in our bodies.

What causes dry eyes?

Dry eyes occur when the eyes can't provide enough lubrication. It occurs during traveling in an airplane, sitting in an AC room, riding a bike at high speed, looking at the screen for too long.

Women are exposed to dry eyes more often due to hormonal fluctuations(especially estrogen and androgen) that happens during the post-menopause phase or when she takes birth control pills.

Dry eyes are accompanied by a dry mouth, joints, throat, skin, lips, and brittle nails.

It can also be an isolated problem. For example, as people get older they experience 40 % less lubrication. Long-term contact lens usage can also cause dry eyes because they reduce corneal sensitivity. This sensitivity will determine how much tears are produced by tear glands.

What are tears?

 

Tears are a clear, salty liquid that lubricates eyes. It is made up of 3 layers:

First layer: It is an oil layer that helps tears not to evaporate and eyelids from sticking together.

Second layer: It is the water layer that makes up for 90 % of tears. It helps to lubricate eyes and provide nutrients and fight bacteria.

Third layer: It makes eyes "wet" and binds tears to the surface of the eyes.

Damage to any one layer can cause dry eyes.

Treating dry eyes:

1. Doctors usually suggest using eye drops to artificially create tears.

2. Take breaks from the screen.

3. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.

4. Use screen guards to protect your eyes.

5. Reduce brightness from the screen

P.S: Even though prevention is better than cure, it is not an excuse to watch more screens.

Eye exercises:

Everyone knows we have to exercise our muscles. But it is equally important to maintain visual fitness.

1. Palming: This will help you to relax your eyes.

Rub your arms together to create heat and place your cupped hands on your closed eyes. Do this for 1 or 2 minutes multiple times a day

2. Sunning: Close your eyes and face the sun for 5 seconds. (don't tighten your facial muscles) and place your palm on your closed eyes for 10 seconds and remove your hand. Repeat 10 times

Try when the sun is not harsh

 

3. Focus object: Hold your finger 10 inches away from your eyes and focus your finger for a few breaths and remove your finger and focus an object a few meters away from your body. Repeat 15 mins