Hello Everyone,

Welcome to The Invisible Vision Project’s Blog.

May is Vision Health Month, in honor of this awareness and in today’s blog, I’d like to share with you 5 tips on how to project your eyes. These tips may or may not already appeared on a website that talks about vision health, so in addition to that, I’ll also include how I take care of my eyes, through my experience and with the tips I listed in mind. Also to keep in mind, vision health is not only important to those that are blind or visually impaired, it is important for everyone.

Tip #1: Get a Regular Eye Exam

This first tip is so important that I cannot stress enough. Whether you already have an existing eye disease or, you have a family history/at risk of developing an eye disease, even if you are fully sighted now, don’t take your eye sight for granted. Anyone should at least have one eye exam every two years, and if you already have an existing eye disease, get your eyes checked at least once a year! A lot of times, vision loss caused by some eye conditions cannot be noticed from the outside, and it can only be detected through a comprehensive eye exam by a specialist. Don’t wait until it’s too late!

My Experience: Since the age of 4 and until when I was 16, I’ve always had my eyes checked regularly by a specialist. Then, between the age of 17 until my mid 20s, this was a period when I only had my vision checked once or twice. And, because of it, my vision slowly deteriorated. Then, since my mid 20s and up until now, I have been trying my best to have at least one comprehensive eye exam every year. And, I’m determined to keep up with this routine.

Tip #2: Take Breaks from Using Electronic Devices

Nowadays, a lot of people have their laptop, tablet and phone almost ‘glued’ to them. People are constantly looking at these devices whenever and wherever they can. (Sometimes, even on a moving bus or while walking, which is really unsafe for themselves and for others around them). Did you know, blue light coming from electronic devices can be harmful to the eyes, when using them for a prolonged period of time without resting. This could eventually lead to gradual vision loss, even without us knowing. So, it is so important to take short breaks from using electronic devices and, to give your eyes a break!

My Experience: Even though I now have a screen-reading software and voice over, I don’t use it all the time. Sometimes I do just read off the screen (with a zoom feature though). And when I do, I try to take breaks on a regular basis, and sometimes, when my eyes get tired, they will “complain” and then I know it’s time to take a break.

Tip #3: Eat a Healthy and Balanced Diet:

The importance of eating a healthy and balanced diet is not only beneficial to our health and body, it is also beneficial to our vision health. The eyes, just like a lot of other part and organ on our body, it is depended on healthy and nutritious food for it to remain healthy.

My Experience: Because I cannot possibly be physically active and stay fit, I always try to eat as healthy as possible. Thankfully, I’m not a picky eater, I will eat most food, and even if there’s a kind of veggie or food that I’m not very fond of, I will try to find a recipe that will make me like it. I can give you an example, I used to really hate eating carrots (which by the way, carrot is a really good veggie for eye health). Then, when I discovered that I can put carrot in a stew or curry or sometimes even in soups, I don’t hate it as much anymore.

Tip #4: Wear Sunglasses All Year Round

This is a fairly common tip for eye health, and it is an important one to take it seriously. We often see people wear sunglasses in the summertime and on the beach, but the truth is, in order to protect our eyes, it is important to wear sunglasses all year round. And you may ask, why is that? Well, that’s because the sun is shinning in every season of the year, and not just in the summer! We need to protect our eyes from the UV light, which is harmful to the eyes. Also, it is so important to wear sunglasses in the wintertime, too (especially during seasons of heavy snow) because the bright snow is harmful to the eyes, just as much as the sun!

My Experience: I didn’t start wearing sunglasses, for the benefit of protecting my eyes, until I became sensitive to the bright sunlight. For about the past about 4 years, I now wear my sunglasses all year round, especially in the summer and winter. And, when the weather is a bit on the cloudy side, I could get away without wearing my sunglasses, but I’ll always remember to keep a pair in my purse, just in case I need them.

Tip #5: Avoid Eye Injury

Vision Loss caused by eye injury is unfortunately quite common, and it could very much be prevented. The eyes are an exposed organ on our body, and therefore it can get injured quite easily, sometimes even without us knowing it. An eye injury should not be taken lightly, it should be considered as a medical emergency, in order to avoid any possible vision loss. And again, don’t wait until it’s too late!

My Experience: Thankful, I’ve never had an eye injury. The closest call to an eye injury that had happened to me was really minor, it was caused by a foreign particle (perhaps some kind of dust) that got into my eyes, and I accidently rubbed that eye. This had led to a short period of having a ‘pink eye.’ It had happened when I was younger, but the lesson I learned from this was that: no matter what went into your eye, do not rub it, ever.

So…this is it, it’s the end of today’s blog on 5 tips on how to protect your eyes, which also included my thoughts and experiences. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and maybe even learned a thing or two from it.

Thank you for reading to the end!

By: The Invisible Vision Project