How To Avoid the Eye Problems Epidemic
Protect your eyes.
In today’s post, I want to share some tips on how to avoid eye problems like dry eyes, eye strain, near sightedness and far sightedness.
Disclaimer: I’m not an ophthalmologist so take my advice with a grain of salt.
In 2020, I started working as a software engineer. This meant I was staring at screens for more than nine hours every day. I know it sounds extreme but I’m not exaggerating.
Coding and researching weren’t possible without my laptop and because of the pandemic, all my meetings were online too. Sadly, my free time also involved looking at screens.
This took a toll on my eyes. I started having blurry vision, I could feel the pain in my eyelids after a long day and at night my eyes got so dry that I couldn’t sleep without eye drops.
So, I visited an ophthalmologist because I was convinced a pair of glasses would solve all my problems.
The ophthalmologist was a young man, he most likely was in his early thirties.
He examined my eyes and made me take a few tests. As I waited eagerly for my report, I wondered if I had Glaucoma, the dreaded disease I had read about on the internet.
“There’s nothing wrong with your vision,” he declared.
My dad- who tagged along — was very happy about my results but I wasn’t convinced.
I told the doctor the problems I was facing and how a pair of glasses was the answer.
He asked me to walk him through a day in my life.
So, I told him how my day began with checking my phone then opening my laptop and using the phone again after work.
He was listening very carefully. When I was finished, he shrugged and told me the problem I was facing was because of my lifestyle: if I change my habits all my eye problems would go away.
In this post, I will share the lifestyle changes he suggested.
Since seeing the doctor, I have scavenged the internet to find the best research papers and scientists that focus on good habits for maintaining healthy eyes.
Shout out to Andrew Huberman. His content on eye health and health, in general, is top-notch, I highly recommend it.
This year, I met some of my friends whom I hadn’t seen for five years. One of them is a designer who works with software engineers.
While I was engrossed in eating my slice of paneer tikka pizza, she remarked, “Shreya, why don’t you have dark circles under your eyes? All SDEs I have met have dark circles, eye bags or red lines!”
I smirked at her and explained my lifestyle.
I want all of us to have good vision so here are the habits I’ve followed to maintain healthy eyes.
The following habits require discipline and dedication:
In the morning,
- I don’t use my phone or view screens within the first hour after waking up.
- I go for a walk and look at trees, buildings that are far and the horizon. (Again, within the first hour of waking up).
- I do a 30-second eye exercise which involves moving my eyes up, down and sideways.
In the afternoon,
- I take a break every 30 minutes and look at buildings or trees that are at least 10 feet away.
- When I’m on my laptop, I make sure I’m blinking and closing my eyes now and then.
- I eat at least one fruit or vegetable that has Vitamin A. Like carrots, apples, spinach, etc.
- I drink plenty of water. (Not limited to afternoons, I follow this throughout the day)
In the evening,
- Since this is the time a lot of vehicles are on the road, I stand on my balcony and watch the vehicles. It helps in training the eyes in tracking movement.
- I go out and play with dogs. I don’t know why but it sure helps my vision.
- All lights in the house are dimmed and most screens are closed.
- I switch off my phone at 9 PM and go to bed at 10 PM. So, I won’t look at any light in the hour before I go to bed. This has helped me in getting good sleep and sleeping properly is the best for the eyes.
We have come to the end of this post, I want to know your lifestyle and if it helps you in maintaining healthy eyes or is it ruining your vision? Let me know in the comments.
Written by Shreya Sinha, thanks for reading! Subscribe to my newsletter for great content: https://shreyasinha.substack.com/ (It’s free!)
