World Sight Day 2021: 8 Tips To Keep Your Eyes Healthy

World Sight Day, observed every year on second Thursday of October, highlights the importance of efforts that encourage prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment

The theme for World Sight Day 2021 is 'Love your eyes' | Photo: Getty

New Delhi: Four out of five people worldwide have visual impairment that could have been avoided, the National Health Portal of India (NHPI) says. According to it, 80 per cent of blindness is preventable by treatment.

World Sight Day, which is observed every year on the second Thursday of October, highlights the importance of efforts that encourage prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. 

This year, it is on October 14. 

World Sight Day is coordinated by the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) under WHO’s ‘VISION 2020: the Right to Sight’ global initiative.

This year’s theme is “Love your eyes”. 

According to the WHO, the leading causes of vision impairment globally are uncorrected refractive errors, age-related macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, corneal opacity, diabetic retinopathy and trachoma.

Tips For Healthy Eyes 

According to the NHPI, there are some habits that can be adopted to have healthy eyes.

1. Eat well: Add more green vegetables to your diet. Ensure regular intake of yellow and red fruits  

2. No smoking: Smoking serves as a risk factor for cataract, macular degeneration and optic nerve damage

3. Sunglasses: Shades protect eyes from ultraviolet rays of the Sun. One should also use protective goggles or safety glasses during hazardous work.

4. Look away from the screen: Follow 20:20:20 rule. You must rest your eyes every 20 minutes, looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds

5. Maintain hygiene: Ensure your hands are clean if you rub or even touch your eyes.

6. Regular eye check-up: Pay regular visits to an ophthalmologist and get your eyes checked, so any issue is detected on time and treatment started at once

7. No OTC medicines: Avoid taking over-the-counter (OTC) medicines if you got an eye infection

8. Exercise regularly: Regular exercise makes your eyes healthy, besides keeping your body fit