The eyes are said to be the windows to the soul (corny, I know). One true thing is this; your eyes are your windows to the world. Without the eyes, you would just wander round the world unable to experience the beauty that surrounds us. Truth be told, even if all that is to be seen are the bad sides of humanity, I think anyone would rather still be able to see it. And just like you regularly care for your car and maintain your home, you should also care for your eyes to keep seeing your best.
Eye care should ideally begin at an early age, and should be part of your normal health routine throughout your lifetime. Not to worry, it’s never too late to start caring for your eyes. Even if you’re lucky enough to have perfect vision, taking care of and protecting your eyes is vital to keeping your peepers perfect.
1. Exercise – Sit down, place your elbows on your knees, close your eyes and bring your closed eyes down, resting them on your palms. Keep your palms covering your eyes for 10 seconds. Open your eyes and repeat as necessary.
Stretch your arm out and place your thumb in the hitchhiker position. Focus your vision on your thumb while you slowly bring your outstretched arm closer to your body, until your thumb is about five inches from your face. Slowly zoom the thumb back to its original position, focusing on it with your eyes all the while.
2. Massage your Eyes –Hot and Cold Compress: Soak one towel in hot water, and the other in cold. Take one and lightly press it to your face, focusing on your eyebrows, closed eyelids, and cheeks. Alternate between the two as desired, making sure to end with a cold compress.
-Full Face Massage: Soak a towel in hot water. Rub your neck, forehead and cheeks with the towel, avoiding the eyes. Then, use your fingertips to gently massage your forehead and closed eyes.
-Eyelid Massage: Close your eyes and massage them with circular movements of your fingers for 1-2 minutes. Make sure you press very lightly and have washed your hands to avoid damaging your eyes.
3. “Cucumberize” the Eyes – Okay, okay, everybody knows this, but it works. Really. Use cucumber on your eyelids. Press cold cucumber slices gently against eyelids 10 minutes before going to sleep at night to prevent puffiness. Cucumbers contain ascorbic acid and caffeic acid, which prevent water retention. These compounds help explain why cucumbers are used throughout the world to treat inflammation and dermatitis.
4. Take Computer Eye Breaks – Try not to spend so much time looking at your computer screen. (As a matter of fact, now would be a good time to give your eyes a break, since you’re not doing anything too important.)
While science hasn’t yet proven that looking at computer screens causes permanent eye damage, it may cause eye strain and dry eyes. The glare from computer screens causes muscle fatigue in the eyes, either from being too bright or too dark.
People blink less when they’re looking at a screen, causing drier eyes. Make a conscious effort to blink every 30 seconds when you’re sitting down and looking at your computer screen to combat dry eye.
