Spending long hours in front of computers, laptops, or televisions has become a part of modern man’s life today. There is no single profession that does not require use of computers. When at office, one has to spend long eight to nine hours, if not more, in front of the systems.

All these take a heavy toll on the health of modern man, not to mention the eyes. And eyes being the most sensitive organs of our body, get very badly affected by these stress. Result- vision related problems and eye diseases. Here are some useful eye care tips for computer personnel, which if followed religiously will give long-term results:

Work for 20 to 30 minutes on computer at a stretch. Then look at a distant object and blink slowly several times. Do not stare at your computer. This can lead to Sjogren’s syndrome or dry eyes. Make a conscious effort to blink frequently, at least 12 to 15 times every minute. Once you start doing this, it will soon become a habit.

Exercise your eye balls at frequent intervals. Close your eyes and role them underneath the eyelids in clockwise and anti clockwise direction. While you do this this, breathe in deeply and breathe out. Finally, open your eyes very slowly.

Take a small piece of soft linen, say, your clean handkerchief, fold it in a square and puff on it till it is warm. Now, cover your eyes with the handkerchief for about a minute. It helps in relaxing and soothing your eyes. You can also do this with your palms, if you find your handkerchief not clean enough. Take small breaks at frequent intervals, and splash water on your face. This helps to cool your eyes. Take a brisk walk down the floor every time you take a break. Walking not only relaxes your whole body but also increases blood supply to your eyes.

Get an anti-glare screen fixed on to your computer monitor, or use your own pair of anti-glare glasses while working on computers. Also adjust the brightness of the monitor in such a way that the harmful glare from the computer screen is minimum.

Prevention is better than cure .This is applicable for eye health too. Eye care is better than eye cure. So do take good care of your eyes. This can be done by taking in lot of vitamins especially vitamin A into your diet. Other diets that are rich in minerals are also good to eyes .Some of the exercises can also ensure good eye health .To protect the eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, you need to make sure your regular glasses and sunglasses have 100% UV protection.

Pressure in glaucoma will be reduced when you take vitamin C and it also helps slow age related degeneration and provides resistance to cataracts. Vitamins are rich source of antioxidants and they can help in eye health care because antioxidant helps fight the effects of oxidation that contributes to the destruction of healthy tissues and is strongly implicated in macular degeneration. Deficiency of vitamin A can lead to nightblindess, xerophthalmia including dryness of eyes and corneal ulcer formation leading to blindness.

Vitamin A helps to prevent the progression of age related macular degeneration (ARMD) which is the leading cause of blindness in the world. Smokers and those consuming alcohol need extra vitamin supplement as tobacco prevents absorption of vitamin A and alcohol depletes it from the body. However smokers should avoid beta carotene supplement as it increases the risk of lung cancer in them. Food sources: Carrot, mango, sweet potato, papaya, cod liver oil, liver, beef.

Another way to relax your eyes is to place sliced cucumber on the eyelids while you are relaxing in a bath tub. Try taking short breaks after long hours of working. It is better to do few small eye exercises like blinking eyes several times, rolling the eyeballs while keeping your eyes closed. Try looking at a distant object in your office or somewhere outside after long working hours. This would help you in improving your eyes focus.

Don’t keep your eyes focused in one place for a sustained period of time. Change your focus. Look up out a window periodically when you’re doing close work, to give your eyes a break. Sustained contraction of the eyes can also lead to a contraction of your upper body and neck. Don’t stare continuously without breaks, as that causes tension on the visual system, and can contribute to vision problems.