Health and Medical

Eye Care Tips & Myths
Our lifestyle today is incredibly fast-paced that eating healthy and exercising have become a chore; not to mention that we rely heavily on computers and other electronic gadgets. What most of us don’t know is that this lifestyle also affects our eyes. So what can we do? We all know that prevention is better than cure but with the numerous eye care tips going around, it is easy to get confused. What is it that we really should remember and follow? To help us out, ophthalmologist Dr. Roderick A. Feliciano of The Lasik Surgery Clinic gives us some basic tips on how to take care of the eyes and clarifies some myths around it. Tips Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of nutrients such as beta carotene needed by the eyes. Take vitamins. Vitamins and supplements help ensure that our eyes get the proper dose of the nutrients it requires to function properly. Have adequate rest. Well-rested, unstrained eyes work more efficiently. Exercise regularly. Working out improves blood circulation. This is also the only time your eyes are sure to receive enough oxygen. Drink water. Drinking lots of water flushes out waste from the body that can help avoid puffiness in the eyes. Don’t rub. Do not rub and blink instead or flush with water when dust gets in your eyes. Rubbing your eyes can irritate it leaving it red and stinging. Wear sunglasses. Sunglasses aren’t only created to make you look cool. Wearing sunglasses actually protect your eyes from sunrays which can cause heavy damage to the eyes. Visit your eye doctor at least once a year. When going for a visit, you don’t only get checked if you still have a 20/20 vision. The eye doctor also examines you for other eye problems and also makes an assessment of what you need to keep your eyes in good condition. Myths Sleeping with wet hair can cause blindness. No one knows where this originated. Perhaps this is an old wives tale to discourage children from getting the pillow wet. Washing your face after working in front of the computer will make your eyes blurry. This can actually freshen up the eyes. Reading in dim light or in a moving car can cause permanent eye damage. The worst that this can bring is to induce headache or nausea since eye muscles become strained from working harder since you're reading in an awkward position. All eye doctors are the same. There are two kinds of eye doctors: ophthalmologists and optometrists. Ophthalmologists are physicians specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the eye that includes surgery while optometrists are medical professionals who examines and tests the eyes for disease and treats visual disorders by prescribing corrective lenses or vision therapy. As a general rule, what is healthy for the body is also good for the eyes but “the bottom line is taking care of the eyes is a regular habit of having it checked” says Dr. Feliciano.