Did you know that about 85% of our total sensory input to our brains comes from our sense of sight, with the other 15% shared between the other four senses (hearing, touch, taste and smell)? So we’d better take good care of them! Here’s how to protect them:
From eyestrain and injury
To avoid eye strain, always read or watch TV in good light and use an antiglare filter on your computer. Avoid eye injuries by always wearing protective glasses or goggles while doing things like sports, jobs in a home workshop, garden chores, or painting.
From dirt and makeup
Keep the area in and around your eyes clean – use gentle soap to clean the area and, if you wear makeup, use eye makeup removers. Life Brand makes handy Eye Care Towelettes, which gently remove dirt and makeup. They are sterile, individually wrapped, suitable for contact lens wearers, non-irritating, pH balanced, hypoallergenic and ideal for travel.
From the sun
Always wear good quality sunglasses. They protect your eyes from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light which can, over time, cause problems like cataracts and macular degeneration. Make sure the glasses are labelled as providing both UVA and UVB types of ultraviolet radiation. Go for polarized glasses if you are exposed to constant glare.
From neglect
If you are aged 40-65, you should get a checkup every two to four years and every year after age 65. If you have diabetes or a family history of conditions such as glaucoma or macular degeneration, get a checkup once a year. Be sure to see a qualified Optometrist or Ophthalmologist for your testing.
You might also want to try a supplement to support your eye health. Lutein is an antioxidant that helps to maintain eyesight in conditions (associated with sunlight damage) such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Other antioxidants such as grape seed extract and vitamin A may also be helpful. Look for products containing these eye care ingredients. Life Brand adds lutein to several multivitamin and all I Care formulas. Lutein is also available in individual formulas such as Life Brand Lutein Complex.
From minor eye conditions
You can treat some mild conditions yourself. These include allergies, dry eye, red eyes, blepharitis and even conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye. Life Brand offers a range of eye drops to help with some of these conditions, including Allergy Relief Eye Drops when you know the irritation is caused by allergies and the general use Life Brand Original Eye Drops. These drops soothe, cool, comfort and provide fast relief from redness due to minor eye irritations caused by polluted air, swimming, sun, wind, computer screens or TV, driving at night and contact lenses. Some minor eye conditions can lead to a more severe one so always check with your Doctor or Ophthalmologist if you do not see improvement within about 3 days or if your vision or eye condition worsens.
There are certain eye conditions you should not try to treat yourself. You should immediately seek professional help for any sort of direct abrasion to the eye, any chemical splash, a blunt hit to the eye and any condition that causes blurred vision, pain or swelling. In fact, if you are in any doubt about what’s wrong with your eyes – get it checked out.
Take care of your eyes – they are your personal ‘window on the world’!