T
he eyes do
not lie; they’ll
give away
your secrets in a
flash. Whether you’re
unwell, unhappy,
mad as hell or over
the moon, they
tell a story, even
if your words say
otherwise. Ditto if
you party too hard,
work too much, skip
on sleep, smoke, eat
a dodgy diet or have
way too much screen
time. Eventually
your baby blues (or
greens or browns) will
send you a message
you can’t ignore!eye love you!^
Your eyes are precious and amazing; delicate, yet resilient. Just don’t take them
for granted. Here’s how to keep your peepers in perfect working order
Don’t turn a blind eye
Dry, sore, scratchy, gritty,
bloodshot, swollen,
stinging, burning, weepy,
red‑rimmed eyes don’t look
or feel pretty. Throw in
wonky, blurry vision and a
headache or two and that’s
your eyes saying, ‘Seriously
friend, enough’s enough!’See the writing on the wall
Of course, in our defence,
we’re not always to blame
for less‑than‑happy peepers.
Seasonal allergies, infections,
minor injuries and irritations,
reaction to products, hormonal
changes, certain prescription
meds, pollution, age and
even genetics can get in on
the act and cause eye grief.
Whatever’s going on, your
job is to be as kind as possible
to your eyes at all times,
since they’re the only ones
you have. While incredible
advances in vision health and
technology may one day mean
eye transplants are routine,
that day is not today!CHECK THEM OUT
If it’s been a while, schedule a visit with
an eye health professional. The current
recommendation is for people over 40 to
have an eye exam every two years. Along
with prescribing glasses and contacts for
vision correction, optometrists also test for
serious problems such as age-related macular
degeneration and glaucoma, two of the
leading causes of preventable blindness that
can go needlessly undetected and untreated.
n Get an annual eye exam if you’re over 65.
n If you have diabetes, heart disease,
high blood pressure, frequent migraines
or a family history of eye disease, make
sure to have a yearly check-up.
n If you experience pain, light sensitivity,
sudden double vision, loss of peripheral
vision, trouble focussing or extremely dry
or watery eyes, seek medical help pronto.‘The eyes can do a thousand
things that the fingers can’t.’
Persian proverb Photography Adobe Stock, Getty Images164