March is Save Your Vision Month: Protect Your Eyes for a Lifetime

The month of March in India is now officially recognized as Save Your Vision Month. This yearly awareness month is a reminder for all the people that they should understand the importance of eye health and the steps that need to be taken to protect the vision in the years to come. With a complete digital environment everything has turned out to be digital and all types of screen dominate our daily courses, it’s now important to prioritize eye care.

Why Save Your Vision Month Matters

Till our body gets completely fatigued, our eyes too work tirelessly. Still they are completely neglected when it comes to their regular check-ups. The Save Your Vision Month is a special part of the year which mainly encourages individuals to be proactive about their eye health. It tells every individual to analyze the most common vision problems, and adopt habits that can help to prevent long-term damage of vision power. We all know that vision related problems can completely affect quality of life, work productivity, and overall well-being. With this awareness campaign on eye health it becomes easier to educate people on eye safety, disease associated with eyes, its prevention, and the importance of early detection.

Common Eye Issues in the Digital Age

Lets talk about some of the most commonly occurring eye problems due to increasing screen time, which is causing many types of digital eye strain and could lead to eye to

Blurry vision
Headaches
Dry eyes
Eye fatigue

Other than digital eye strain, there are some other vision-related concerns that include:

Cataracts – A clouding of the eye’s lens due to protein breakdown in the eyes and ultimately vision loss if untreated.
Glaucoma – Often due to increased eye pressure, the optic nerves get damaged, and can cause irreversible blindness.
Refractive Errors – With increasing screen time myopia (nearsightedness), hypermetropia (farsightedness), and astigmatism has become quite common and mainly impacts the eyes focus light.
Macular Degeneration – In this disease the central vision gets completely impacted and it becomes difficult to see fine details.
Diabetic Retinopathy – In the later stages of Diabetes a person could damage his or her retina, leading to vision loss.

Most of the above discussed eye conditions develop gradually and may not show symptoms early on. Therefore it is always suggested that one should go for regular eye check-up & exams which is essential for early detection and treatment.

How Digital Screens Impact Eye Health

Integral part of daily life. Starting from old people to youngsters, everyone is working on computers, scrolling through smartphones, making their eyes exposed to excessive screen time and hence exposed to maximum digital eye strain or Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Talking about symptoms associated with CVS it includes dryness in the eyes, irritation in eyes, blurred vision, difficulty while focusing etc.

How can you protect your vision?

Talking about how you can protect your vision needs small but effective steps to maintain optimal eye health.

20-20-20 Rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away to reduce digital eye strain.
Vision-Boosting Diet: The foods which are rich in vitamins A, C, and E, are excellent for eye health.
Stay Hydrated: To keep your eyes hydrated make sure you consume plenty of water to keep the eyes moist and comfortable.
Protect Your Eyes from UV Rays: During summers especially the scorching sunlight needs to be checked by wearing sunglasses with UV protection to shield the eyes from harmful sun exposure. This can contribute to cataracts and macular degeneration.
Go for Regular Eye Exams: eye check-up every 4 to 6 months can help detect vision problems before they become serious.
Limit Screen Time: Try becoming more social as it will help to reduce excessive screen exposure. Make sure you adjust the brightness and contrast settings on your screen to experience a more eye-friendly experience. Using blue light filters on devices can also help.
Get Enough Sleep: Daily sleep of 7 to 8 hours helps the eyes get desired rest. Make sure you take a desired rest to stay away from daily strain and function efficiently.
Wear Protective Eyewear: People who are working in an environment like companies where there is chemical based pollutant or are involved in manufacturing of hazardous materials. Wearing protective eyewear can prevent eye injuries so make sure you always carry one.
Avoid Smoking: There is lots of research paper work which has mentioned that smoking increases the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage.
Practice Good Hygiene: is a blessing in disguise as washing your hands before consuming food or touching your eyes could help you to prevent infections related to eyes and any infection that can enter your gut.

The Importance of Regular Eye Exams

The importance of regular eye exams helps you fight eye disorders in its early stages and helps eradicate it before it becomes chronic in nature. This is possible with regular eye exams essential.

Once the eye disorders become chronic like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, it is an irreversible damage if left untreated. Optometrists, ophthalmologists and Ayurvedic eye specialists at Dr Basu Eye Care Centre you can detect early signs of eye diseases and get tailored treatment especially made for you.

Regular eye exams are particularly important for individuals over the age of 40, those with a family history of eye diseases, and people with conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure that increase the risk of vision problems.

Impact of blue light on eyes

The impact of blue light on eyes from screens in the long term can contribute to eye strain and may ultimately end up disruption of sleep patterns which means impacting the melatonin production. To reduce blue light exposure:

Start using screens with blue light filters.
Adjust the screen brightness, especially during night.
Avoid screens at least an hour before bedtime.

Children eye health and safety

Children’s eye health and safety is a major concern in this competitive digital world. Excessive screen time and lack of outdoor activities can increase the risk of myopia in children. Encourage kids to play outside, take breaks from digital devices, and have regular eye check-ups.

With increasing screen timings in children the exposure to eye strain and stress has been on the rise and especially in cases of myopia, where the child starts wearing spectacles in his school going days to prevent further deterioration in his eye power.. This has been on a rise and needs to be culminated. The children are so curious while watching the laptop or television screen that it is noted that the screen distance is shorter than the viewing distance used while reading from a book, It has also been noticed that the angles are also often not as conducive, adding stress to the extra workload on the eyes. This mainly ends up in headaches, blurry vision, and problems while focusing .

Final Thoughts

Save Your Vision Month is a great opportunity for adults and the young generation to come forward to prioritize eye health and adopt good habits and lifestyle as suggested by Ayurvedic eye specialist and ophthalmologist worldwide as it ensures long-term well-being. Whether through, routine check-ups, or protective measures, taking care of your vision today. This will help you enjoy a clear, vibrant future.

This March, let’s spread awareness and make eye care a priority. Our eyes are our windows to the world—let’s keep them healthy and strong for a lifetime!