For many of us, adopting a healthy habit takes a lot. And we hardly think about eye care, such as food choices, screen time, or day-to-day eye care. Did you know retinal problems can cause a number of eye issues? These include defects in the side vision, blurry vision, and even complete vision loss. Consult a reliable eye specialist in Siliguri for regular eye checkups and retinal care.

Here are the 5 habits that can damage your retina:

Too Long Screen Time

In today’s digital world, screen time exposure is hard to reduce but not impossible. You must know how to avoid excessive screen time. Whether it’s your smartphone, computer/laptop, or TV, spending a long time staring at the screen is absolutely unhealthy for your eye health.

This is one of the common reasons for vision-related issues in young people these days. The condition is called computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain. The blue light from the digital screens penetrates deep into your eyes, which can cause retinal damage over time.

Reduce your screen time by taking often breaks from digital screens. You can follow the ancient rule – the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look at something placed 20 feet away for about 20 seconds).

Smoking

Smoking not only affects your lungs but also affects your eyes and overall health. If you smoke, you should know that smoking is a well-known risk factor for eye problems. The toxins cigarette smoke contains reduce blood flow to the retina and increase oxidative stress in your eyes.

Quitting smoking is the best salutation here since no amount of cigarette smoking is safe. Protect your retina and overall eye health by avoiding smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. You can seek support from your healthcare provider and consider smoking cessation treatment.

Poor Nutrition

A diet plays a vital role in retinal health, providing proper nutrition or affecting eye health. A lack of essential nutrients is alarming for the body to function well.

If your diet is extremely low in antioxidants like vitamins C and E, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc, it can make your retina more vulnerable to damage from inflammation and oxidative stress.

Add a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish to your diet. Have foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin (found in spinach, kale, and corn) good for your retina.

Eye Strain

Don’t ignore eye strains that happen when your eyes are fatigued.  Long hours of intense focus due to reading, working on a screen, or driving can cause eye tiredness. Visit the leading eye specialist in Siliguri for retina treatment.

Without rest, eye strain can cause headaches, redness of the eyes, irritations, and blurry vision. If eye strains remain untreated, these can cause retinal damage over time.

Give your eyes breaks between works, install proper lighting, and position your computer/TV/mobile at eye level. Make sure you keep a proper distance from the screen to avoid eye strain. For regular eye strains, you should consider seeing an eye specialist.

Not Wearing Sunglasses

Not only your skin but also your eyes are vulnerable to the ultraviolet (UV) rays. Long-time exposure to UV sunlight without protection can put you at risk of several eye problems.

These can be double vision, corneal damage, sunburn on the eye, cataracts, complications after a cataract operation, or macular degeneration, a condition that affects the retina. Consult the best eye doctor Siliguri for comprehensive advice and care.

Get good quality sunglasses that give proper UV protection. In case, you have a recent eye surgery, follow the instructions given by your eye doctor before going outside.

Your retina is vital to your healthy vision. Therefore, routine eye exams are important regardless of age. See a trusted eye specialist doctor in Siliguri, Dr. Sangeeta D. Goswami.