Here are Makis Eleftheriou Opticians top tips on looking after your eyes:
Diet & Nutrition
If the old saying of 'you are what you eat' is true for your general health, it is certainly true for your eye health. Eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, packed with vitamins and minerals to keep your eyes fit and healthy. Vitamins, A, C, E and the mineral Zinc have been shown to promote eye health in particular. Hydration is also very important, so drink plenty of water. Avoid excessive amount of oily food, red meat and alcohol.
Get Regular Eye Examinations
A regular eye examination does a lot more than check what you can see, and can pick up early signs of eye conditions such as glaucoma, as well as detecting underlying general health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
At Makis Eleftheriou Opticians, our Optometrists are committed to listening to you and understanding your precise needs. They have at their disposal state of the art equipment not found in every Optician, such as Fundus Cameras, Phoropter, Visual Field Testing Instrument and Digital Slit-Lamp.
We recommend that everyone has an eye examination every 2 years, or more often if recommended by their Optometrist. Children and people aged over 70 should have an eye examination every year, or more often if recommended by their Optometrist.
Contact Lenses
Always wash your hands well before drying them with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Don’t let tap water come into contact with your contact lenses. Even water safe to drink -- isn't sterile and contains microorganisms. This is because there is an organism that lives in water (Acanthamoeba) than can cause a very serious infection if it gets in your eye. That's why it's important not to shower or swim with your contact lenses in.
In addition, you should never use water in place of solution for storing your contact lenses. Recycling solution is like begging for an eye infection. If you're re-using the same solution time and again, that means you're letting your contact lenses stew in a bacteria-ridden pool of liquid -- and then putting those same contacts right back into your eye. Instead, take care to use fresh solution every single time you need to store your contacts.
Contact lens cases should only be used for three months maximum before you replace with a new one. The best way to keep your contact lens case clean is to wash it with solution, NOT water. Then wipe the case dry with a clean towel or let it air dry completely before putting the lids back on.
You have a prescription for monthly lenses, but only wear contacts twice a week for going out -- so you use the same lenses twice a week for 3 months. OR you wear your dailies for longer than a day, your monthlies for longer than a month, etc. STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!! Why you should stop: Sorry, penny-pinchers.. If contacts are approved to be used for 1 month for example, there is a reason for this “it's one month from the time you open that lens package, it's not 30 days of wear”. Your contact lenses are made of plastic, but they actually have pores to help keep them moist in your eyes. However, these pores can then get dirty and trap debris and dirt in the lens. If you use your contact lenses for longer than recommended, not only you're setting yourself up for trouble, including eye irritation, dry eye or an infection but also your eyes don’t receive as much oxygen as they need to and hypoxia begins.
Believe it or not, there is a correct order of operations for people who wear both makeup and contacts. To avoid getting makeup on your contact lenses, wear your contact lenses first before applying makeup, and then taking them out before removing eye makeup.
Sleeping with contacts in your eyes severely limits oxygen transmission. When you are awake, your cornea receives oxygen from the air and from your tears. But when you're asleep, the cornea receives less oxygen and lubrication because your eyes are closed and you are not blinking. Therefore, when you put a piece of plastic -- i.e., your contact lens -- over the cornea overnight, you are further depriving your cornea of oxygen.
Now, some contact lenses are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for overnight and extended wear. If you're dead-set on being able to sleep in your contact lenses, talk to your optometrist/doctor about getting a prescription for one of these types of lenses.
If you experience any pain or discomfort from your contact lenses, remove them and contact your eye doctor/optometrist. Eye infections, if left untreated, can lead to temporary or permanent blindness.
It is important to have regular check-ups to make sure that your contact lenses are still suitable for you, and are not damaging your eyes
Sleep and Rest
Your eyes need rest so a good night's sleep in a well ventilated room will refresh your eyes overnight. If you work for long periods of time in front of a screen it is important to rest your eyes, move away from the screen area, look over longer distances and take some fresh air if possible. Remember the 30-30-30 rule: every 30 minutes, look 30 feet away (six metres) for 30 seconds to give your eye muscles a break and help increase the rate of blinking.
Wear UV Protection Lenses and Sunglasses
Just as the sun’s ultra violet rays can damage your skin, they can equally harm your eyes. It is vital to protect your eyes from bright sunshine, especially in sunny climates like Cyprus and during outdoor activities, such as surfing or skiing. Make sure you – and your children – protect your eyes with good-quality UV absorbing sunglasses. Not all sunglasses that are in the market will absorb the UV, so it is important to check this. Some studies suggest that exposure to high levels of sunlight throughout your life may increase your risk of developing cataracts and AMD.
Research has shown that almost 80 per cent of under-25s put fashion and price before safety standards when choosing sunglasses.
Buy good quality, dark sunglasses – good sunglasses don’t need to be expensive - they just need to be from opticians NOT from boutiques.
Exercise
A healthy body regime will promote good eye health. Regular exercise and outdoor activities will get your heart pumping and circulating the blood around your entire body. As with all aspects of your body, being as fit and healthy as possible will promote good eye health.
Be aware of your vision in each eye separately
Many conditions appear in one eye first. If you regularly check your vision (with glasses if you need them) by covering each eye in turn, you are more likely to notice changes. If you notice changes in your vision you should contact your optometrist for advice. Things you should look out for include straight lines, such as door or window frames, appearing distorted or wavy, or seeing blank or blurry spots in your vision.
Don't Ignore Warning Signs
Any changes in your eyes including dryness, itching, 'flashes', redness, blurred images or lack of focus should be quickly checked out by your Optometrist. At Makis Eleftheriou Opticians, we have invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology including Fundus Photography and Visual Fields instrument, so that we can examine every aspect of your eye health and changes to your vision.
Know your family's eye health history
Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It's important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease or condition since many are hereditary. This will help to determine if you are at higher risk for developing an eye disease or condition.
Stop smoking
Smoking can promote eye diseases as it reduces blood flow to the eyes and can increase the amount of toxic substances (like tar and nicotine) your eyes absorb. If you're at risk for diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration, exposure to toxic substances in cigarettes can increase that risk significantly.
Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma.
If there's one thing we care about more than anything at Makis Eleftheriou Opticians, it's the health of your eyes!!
From what's involved in an eye test through to answering questions about your eyes and vision, we're firm believers in explaining everything clearly. Our highly trained team are always available to care for your individual needs.
Whatever your age and however good your eyes feel, we recommend that you have your vision and eyes checked at least once every two years, unless an Optometristrecommends more frequent visits. We recommend that all children and people aged over 70 have an eye examination every year - or more often if recommended by their optometrist.
