Nobody wants to suffer from myopia, a kind of illness that prevents someone from seeing distant objects clearly. Although corrective measures such as wearing a pair of glasses or contact lenses are widely available, it can be quite a hassle and may even cause a dent in your wallet. Instead, here are five quick and effective tips for you to prevent myopia in your children.
• Adopt good eye habits
It is vital that you adopt a healthy lifestyle for your eyes. Books should be approximately 30cm from the eyes to ensure correct postures when reading or writing. It is also advisable not to read or write in a moving vehicle or while lying on the bed. If you do have to strain your eyes by working long hours in front of the computer screen, remember to take a five to ten minutes break every forty minutes. Use the time to take a walk or look out the window to relax your eye muscles. Having a sufficient amount of sleep will also help in the prevention of myopia.
• Ensure modest lighting when using your eyes in close quarters
Using your eyes in close quarters with strong or weak lighting is a sure way to cause myopia. Ensure that you use modest lighting in close quarters. It is advisable to use 40 60W incandescent lamp on the side of your desk in the evening or when you are in a dark room. Incandescent lamps give off a soft lighting and have good colour development to keep your eye muscles relax and prevent eye fatigue.
• Take the essential nutrients that help your eyes to stay healthy
Vitamin A, C and E should be part of your daily diet. Keep in mind that dairy food such as milk and egg yolk, liver, green leafy vegetables and carrots are also healthy for the eyes. Take note of these important nutrients and food, and include them in your daily food intake. Candies and food with high animal fat content, however, may actually speed up the development of myopia.
• Fix an appointment with your optometrist on a regular basis
Do not just visit an optometrist when you start experiencing signs of myopia. Instead, make it a habit to have an eye check up every three to six months to establish the state of your eyesight. You may monitor your edge of vision, which should be at about 1.0. If your edge of vision dips below 1.0, you may immediately have your vision corrected by your optometrist.
• Be in good physical shape
Be active and carry out physical exercises regularly. Illnesses such as malnutrition, chronic diseases and even weakness can easily lead to myopia. So step out and play sports or any outdoor activity to keep yourself physically fit and healthy.
If you are already suffering from myopia however, do not fret. Make an appointment with an optometrist to ensure that you’re wearing an accurate pair of glasses or contact lenses. There is still a possibility that your eyesight will improve, as long as your lens strength, angle of astigmatism axis and the distance between your pupils are accurate.
Author Resource:
Alison Lee has been a healthcare professional for the past decade. Her interest lies in educating the public about eyecare treatments, such as myopia control, lasik surgery, bladeless lasik and epi lasik. Visit http://www.eagleeyecentre.com.sg/ .