Eyes that can see have a characteristic that once vision is lost, it is difficult to recover. Irregular eating habits, overwork, stress, and various lifestyle habits such as smoking continue to adversely affect the maintenance of normal vision. In particular, recently, the popular use of smartphones and various IT devices and environmental factors such as fine dust are acting as risk factors that threaten eye health. If these causes that threaten eye health are not improved and continue, it will cause deterioration of vision and accelerate the aging of the eyes. In particular, when eye health is prolonged, the risk of developing various eye diseases such as macular degeneration, cataract, and glaucoma increases due to an increase in intraocular pressure and atrophy of the optic nerve. Therefore, it is very important to improve eyesight and prevent various eye diseases to improve various bad habits that cause vision deterioration and to make a habit of various methods to help improve eye health. So today, we’re going to talk about a number of ways to help improve eye health and improve your eyesight.
How to improve eyesight
1. Eat foods that are good for eye health
The first way to help improve eye health and improve your eyesight is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. It is especially important to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits that are known to be good for eye health. Green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, and chard are representative foods that are good for the eyes. These foods are rich in lutein, a kind of carotenoid, which increases the density of the macular pigment to help improve visual function, and protects the eyes by absorbing ultraviolet or blue light from the outside. Also, regular consumption of blueberries, bilberries, aronia, mulberry, carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, sweet pumpkin, eggs, salmon, and other foods is said to help promote eye health and prevent eye-related diseases. On the other hand, excessive intake of foods with excessive salt and various chemical seasonings can cause dry eyes and increase fatigue, so intake should be controlled.
2. Rest to relieve eye strain
Except for sleeping, the eyes play an important role in countless tasks and activities throughout the day, and a lot of fatigue accumulates. In particular, in the occupational group with a lot of computer use, the monitor is used a lot, and the eyes become more tired and dry. In addition, smartphones that are used for a long time in a fixed position also aggravate eye fatigue and are a lifestyle habit that reduces vision. Therefore, you should not use the computer or monitor for too long, and it is recommended to close your eyes and take a break to relieve eye fatigue from time to time while you are working.
3. Eye Exercise
It is said that doing eye exercises to relieve eye fatigue and relax muscles can also help a lot in eye health. First, extend your arms and pin your thumbs, then focus. Then, slowly bring your thumb close to your eye and stare at it for about 3 seconds. If you repeat this movement only about 15 times a day, you can improve the ability to control the accommodation of the eyes and get the effect of relaxing the muscles of the eyes. Also, putting a warm pack or a warm towel on your eyes for about 10 minutes is said to improve blood flow to the eyes and relieve eye fatigue. In addition, gently massaging the pupil area after rubbing your hands with your eyes closed can help a lot in improving the symptoms of blurred eyes.
4. Wear sunglasses or a hat
When the eyes are exposed to strong ultraviolet rays, they damage the retina and act as a cause of accelerating aging of the eyes. In addition, prolonged exposure can cause eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and keratitis. Therefore, it is recommended to minimize UV exposure by wearing sunglasses or a long-brimmed hat when going out on a sunny day.
In addition to the above-mentioned habits, if you work on a computer for a long time, wearing blue light blocking glasses can help prevent damage to your eyes from electromagnetic waves and reduce eye muscle fatigue. In addition, artificial tears or eye drops help prevent dryness of the eyes by moisturizing the mucous membranes, but it is recommended to use them in an appropriate amount because excessive use can make the eyes more dry and cause redness due to blood vessel dilation. In addition, it is recommended to limit smoking because it causes platelet aggregation, impairs the flow of blood to the eye, and blocks the supply of oxygen to the fibrous tissue. In addition, if you use contact lenses for a long time, it is recommended not to wear them for more than 6 hours because they block the normal permeation of oxygen.
