How are you taking care of your eye health? A lot of people stop going to the ophthalmologist due to negligence or simply because they think they don’t have the slightest need to visit this specialist. But the reality is that a visit to the specialist doctor who takes care of eye health should be as important as going to a general practitioner regularly for a check-up, for example.
Certifying with a professional that you have healthy vision is among the top tips for keeping eye care up to date. Not to mention that visiting this specialist every six months ensures that you can prevent eye diseases, in addition to facilitating the early diagnosis of vision problems, such as cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), improving the chances of treatment success.
In awareness of Ocular Health Day, celebrated on July 10, the team at Cuidados Pela Vida interviewed the ophthalmologist Caetano Bellote Filho, who indicated 6 precautions that we should take with our eyesight. Follow!
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food care
Eating well provides many benefits to the body, including eye health, you know? A balanced diet, based on good choices of proteins, vegetables, greens and fruits, is the key to a healthy outlook throughout life. Food helps prevent a series of eye diseases caused by diabetes, as is the case with diabetic retinopathy. According to Ministry of Healththe problem affects the retina of diabetic patients and manifests itself through a progressive or sudden decrease in vision when the glucose level stays high for a long time.
Another positive aspect of dietary care for visual health is that, along with changing other life habits, such as quit smoking and avoiding excessive exposure to the sun, it is also possible to prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in people over 50 years of age.
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Regular visits to the ophthalmologist
Going to the ophthalmologist is one of the main care we should have with our vision and it is a habit that should be encouraged by parents in childhood. “Periodical evaluation from an early age is fundamental for the health of the eyes. Children should not be allowed to pass the age of three without having the first contact with the ophthalmologist, whether they have a complaint or not,” said Dr. Gaetano. To keep vision care up to date, it is necessary to go to the office once a year for routine tests, such as tonometry (measurement of intraocular pressure), capable of detecting the glaucoma and other vision problems.
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Dry weather care
In the drier seasons, such as autumn and winter, vision care needs to be strengthened. Low humidity in the air can cause burning and redness in the eyes due to the evaporation of natural eye lubrication: the tears. To end these nuisances, you need to avoid environments with a fan and air conditioning as much as possible, in addition to using eye drops to keep your eyes well lubricated. Before buying any medicine, consult an ophthalmologist to get a recommendation for the safest product for this case, if necessary.
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Sunglasses to protect against UV rays
Sunglasses are much more than a simple accessory. According to the ophthalmologist, this item is a great ally of eye health. “It filters some radiation, the visible light itself is attenuated and the ultraviolet rays, which are responsible for the formation of cataracts, pterygium and also retinal lesions over the years”, emphasized the doctor.
For him to act in eye care, it is essential that sunglasses have UV protection and that the patient wears them whenever necessary. “You don’t need to use it 24 hours a day, but you need to place it in environments with a lot of light. At sunrise and sunset times, it becomes even more important, as the light hits the eyes perpendicularly, reaching the vision even more”, warned Dr. Gaetano.
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Take a break from cell phone and computer use
Excessive use of screens, such as cell phones, computers and televisions, is very bad for eye health. Dr. Caetano explains the consequences of this: “There are studies showing that this increasingly common habit may be related to the increased incidence of myopia, for example. We don’t know how bright the screen is or whether it’s from using the screen so closely and for so long, especially for children.”
The younger the child, the less time we should leave them in front of the screen. “Not to mention that the excess of cell phones and television can make the little ones more sedentary and physical exercise outdoors is very important for the health of the eyes and other organs”, guaranteed the specialist.
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Avoid scratching your eyes
Scratching your eyes may seem like a harmless habit, but the truth is that this gesture can bring a lot of damage to eye health. According to the Virtual Health Libraryrubbing the eye increases the chances of dislocating the retina or developing keratoconus, an eye disease that causes changes in the cornea, leaving distorted vision.
If you are allergic, spend a lot of time in front of the computer or frequent air-conditioned environments, it is worth consulting an ophthalmologist for the indication of an eye drop or other measures capable of helping to relieve the itch.
The post Care for Life.
Source: cuidadospelavida.com.br
