Are you having difficulty reading the lines in this article? If so, then you might have some problems with your eyesight. It could be due to many factors, and determining the cause is instrumental to finding a fix to your problem.
Factor to Consider
1. Smoking
Surprised? You should not be. Smoking is one of the leading factors that cause short term eye problems such as red eyes and eye irritation. It can also bring about more serious problems such as increased risks of having age-related Macular Degeneration.
This particular disease is prevalent in older people which cause increased blurred and distorted vision, leading to blindness. If you are a smoker, you tend to get chemicals found in cigarettes and these accumulate in the retina, specifically the macular. There is no cure for this disease as of yet, and if you have it, then most likely, it will continue to bring damage to your eyes.
The good news is that if you quit smoking, you can lower the risk of getting Macular Degeneration as you grow older. Twenty years from when you quit smoking, your risks of getting such a disease will just be about the same as a non-smoker. This means that the sooner you quit smoking, the better.
2. Eye Strain
This is another factor that brings about problems with your eyesight. Though it is not as damaging as smoking, it still causes some problems. Usually, it brings about short term problems (temporary), and if corrected, such problems go away. For example, if you are in front of your PC for long periods of time, by simply getting rid of this habit and spend more time elsewhere, you will no longer experience blurred visions or discomfort in the eyes.
Staring at your PC monitor all day (or all night) can of course cause some problems, especially if you sit to close to your PC. Take note as well that it may also bring about long term effects, such as getting used to seeing and reading at close range that distance may eventually affect your eyesight.
Another issue with being too close to the computer monitor is that we lessen our frequency to blink. As you probably know, blinking is important to prevent dryness and strain to the eyes.
Suggestions to Improve Eyesight
If the damage is brought about by smoking, then the only solution to that is naturally, to stop smoking. However, if the problem is caused by eye strain, then here are things that you can do to improve your vision condition.
1. Exercise
You can work on “blinking exercises.” The concept is quite simple- you just need to blink frequently. You can even have a deep wink by closing your eyes for about five seconds and then opening them wide.
2. Change focus
You can also prevent eye strain by switching your focus on an object that is located far from where you are. Stare at it for a minute or so until your eyes readjust, then you can go back and put your focus to your monitor again.
3. Palming
If you haven’t heard of this term before, palming is a form of exercise which is done by closing your eyes tightly and putting your palms over them. This is to completely block the light from getting in. You can perform this at thirty-second intervals. This is quite effective in getting rid of, or avoiding, eye strain.
