If you work behind a computer screen or use your phone 24/7, say aye!
Or better yet, say “eye”!
Our eyes are some of the most overworked organs in our body. It can also tell us a lot about our mental and physical state. It’s puffy when we’ve cried, has dark circles when we’ve been up all night, and they can reveal so much about how we’re feeling.
The importance of our eyes in how we work and how we enjoy our lives cannot be overstated, but have we been taking enough care of them?
First things first: a checkup
The best way to give our eyes their much-needed TLC is by visiting a doctor. You don’t necessarily need to have an eye disease or illness to pay a visit to one. As with the rest of our body parts, it’s good to have regular eye check-ups. Only the experts will truly know the state of our eye health—something that should not be a guessing game.
But what kind of doctor should you visit exactly? An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the eyes. As medical doctors, they are qualified to diagnose and treat eye ailments, perform surgery, and prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses. Optometrists, meanwhile, are not medical doctors, but they are licensed to perform eyes tests and prescribe corrective lenses. Finally, opticians are technicians who use prescriptions from doctors to fit glasses and contact lenses.
For proper eye care, we need the help and guidance of these medical professionals.
Don’t drop the eye drops
Depending on the condition of your eyes, the doctor may or may not prescribe eye drops.
There are different kinds of eye drops available on the market. Some are over-the-counter, while others need prescriptions. Most eye drops are meant to moisten the eye, while others are part of treatment for a medical condition.
Due to our work or certain eye conditions, our eyes get too dry and irritated, and eye drops can help with that. Just make sure to ask your doctor about it.
Circling in on dark circles
It’s happened to the best of us—waking up with puffy eyes. Sometimes, it’s because we had a good cry the night before (those cat and dog rescue videos on YouTube, am I right?), or maybe we’re having an allergic reaction to something.
If you’re looking to minimize the puffiness and dark circles under your eyes, that are some products and home remedies available for you to try. You can apply a cold compress on your eyes for a few minutes, or you can try applying a homemade eye mask. Just make sure that the ingredients you’re using are safe for the eyes! You can also opt to buy an eye cream gel online to add to your nightly skincare routine.
Baggy eyes, while bothersome, are really just part of aging. It’s not a bad thing. It’s entirely normal unless, of course, it’s caused by an underlying medical condition.
Rest your eyes
One of the most important things you can do for your eyes, even if you don’t really have any eye issues, is to give them enough rest. And this can be harder than you think because, more often than not, we don’t really realize how overworked our eyes are!
On a given day, our eyes are, for the most part, either staring into a computer screen or a mobile phone. And during break times, they could be looking at another screen–your TV. It’s a surprise that not everyone has been complaining about eyestrain.
It’s important to give our eyes mini-breaks throughout the day. Ask yourself: have you been blinking enough? The simple act of blinking is one way of refreshing our eyes, and we might not be doing it enough. Another trick to take a 20-second break from your computer every 20 minutes by looking at something about 20 feet away.
Of course, all of this will be for naught if, to begin with, we subject our eyes to the wrong conditions. Ensure that the lighting in your workplace is sufficient—not too bright and not too dim—and that our monitors and screens are also adjusted to the proper brightness settings.
It’s easy for us to take our eyes for granted until we reflect on how essential our eyesight is to our livelihoods and everyday activities. Don’t wait until you’re having eye troubles before you start caring. You must care about eye care.
