The month of August of every year is the celebration of Sight Saving Month under Proclamation No. 40. The campaign aims to highlight the significance of protecting, taking good care, and for everyone to focus on their eye health.

The eye is one of our most important body organs that can capture and interpret more than one million pulse signals per millisecond and transmit them to the brain. 80 percent of what we perceive comes through our sense of sight.

Eye problems can involve any of the eye parts. Common eye disorders and diseases include refractive errors, age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, amblyopia, and strabismus that might cause blindness and vision loss. Having signs like eye pain, eye fatigue, eye infection, blurry vision, light sensitivity, dry or itchy eyes, double vision, trouble seeing at night, frequent headaches, problems with near or distant vision, experiencing a cloud of floaters, flashes of light, swirly mists or a curtain over part of your eye, seeing halos around lights particularly during the middle of the day, having a foreign object in the eyes such as grit, dirt, chemicals or a large object and diabetes if it’s been a while, one should see an eye doctor right away.

Early detection and preventive care are important to help keep the eyes healthy and avoid common causes of blindness. Good eye health starts with a healthy and balanced diet that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, vitamins C and E. These can be found in fishes like salmon, tuna, halibut and other oily fishes, in fruits and vegetables, especially deep yellow and green leafy vegetables, in oranges and other citrus fruits and juices, also in eggs, nuts, beans, and other nonmeat protein sources, and in oysters and pork. Include drinking plenty of water because it can prevent dehydration, which may reduce the symptoms of dry eyes. A well-balanced diet also helps you maintain a healthy weight that can lower your risk of obesity and related diseases like type 2 diabetes, which is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Get regular exercise to help control diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol that can lead to some eye and vision problems. Avoid smoking to lower the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve.

In addition, wear sunglasses to help avoid sun exposure and can block UV radiation and wear protective eyewear for eye protection when playing certain sports, working in jobs such as factory work and construction, and doing repairs or projects in your home. It is important also to know your family medical history because some eye diseases are inherited and this can help you determine if you are at higher risk of developing an eye disease. If you’re wearing contacts, wash your hands well before you put in or take out your contact lenses. Also, follow the instructions on how to properly clean them, and replace them when needed.

Moreover, give your eyes a rest every 20 minutes and look 20 feet away for 20 seconds if you spend a lot of time using a computer or cellphones. It is important to know your risk factors because you may be able to lower your risk by changing some behaviors.

Good vision is a key factor for living a healthy and happy life. The earlier we start looking after the health of our eyes, the better our chance of maintaining good vision throughout our lives. (NOILaurito/OIC-NPCFlores)

Reference:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-2qEjo1g4Vg5YL7bMlPnYy41z9A6voaB/view?fbclid=IwAR1UhcZDvtf9hsNZ0G47LThrc27PO2PeMH2nGOxQRP1HNPqfcy8VbBDMIpk