World Sight Day 2021: Love Your Eyes

Eyes are a blessing to living beings, but it is rare that we actually do something to keep them healthy. Many people across the world suffer from various vision impairments, which can be prevented, but carelessness and ignorance of the initial symptoms result in an adverse situation. Hence, to make people aware of the same, this year, 14th October 2021 is being marked as World Sight Day.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Globally, at least 1 billion people have near or distant vision impairment that could be prevented or has yet to be addressed. Vision impairment affects people of all ages, with the majority being over the age of 50. It can also sometimes cause blindness. Apart from this, according to an estimate, about 285 million people are blind worldwide. Of these, 39 lakh people are blind and 246 million people are with moderate or severe visual impairment.

Majorly, uncorrected refractive errors (43%) and cataracts (33%) are considered to be responsible for visual impairments. Besides this, eye problems can be due to several reasons, including eye disorders, accidents, as well as heredity. But, a thing to notice here is that if people are just a little bit more careful about their eyes, 80% of these cases can be saved from damage. Therefore, every year, the second Thursday of October is celebrated as World Sight Day, with an aim to spread awareness about the same. This year, the day is being celebrated on 14th October, with the theme, “Love your eyes”.

The 4 Ps To Love Your Eyes

According to the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), the following are the 4Ps you need to follow.

1. Prevent
   Many eye diseases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is all about eating healthy and adopting healthy habits. Include foods rich in vitamin A, C and E, omega 6 and omega 3 (fatty acids), lutein and zeaxanthin and zinc.
2. Protect
   While leading a healthy lifestyle can help you prevent several eye diseases it is equally important to protect and take care of your eyes. The risk ranges from severe sunlight, workplace accidents to prolonged exposure to screens at homes. So what can you do to protect your eyes? You can wear protective eyewear, clean out your cosmetics and work in a body-friendly way.
3. Preserve
   Plan for and get a regular comprehensive eye examination. A comprehensive eye examination will ensure that your eye care practitioner obtains a detailed medical history and family history to understand your risk factors, followed by checking your vision, eye power, and eye health by instilling dilating eye drops.
4. Prioritize
   Ensure that eye examinations are a part of your routine medical examination. Prioritize your eye health and consider “Love your eyes” as a life’s mission and also educate your family, loved ones and community regarding the importance of eyes and vision

Ways To Prevent Eye Conditions

Many eye diseases and disorders can be prevented through small changes in our routine and lifestyle. Some of these are:

• Eat healthy and nutritious food
• Keep away from smoke and drugs
• While using mobile phones or screens, keep them at a proper distance from your eyes. Maintain healthy eye hygiene
• Get your eyes checked regularly, and be aware of eye problems.
• Do not take any medicine without a doctor's advice if you have an eye infection or any disease.
• Along with the body, do regular exercise for the eyes as well.
• Protect your eyes from harmful UV rays when you are out in the sun.