5 Natural Ways to keep your Eyes Healthy and Beautiful

Your eyes tell many things about yourself. Healthy and beautiful eyes enhance the face look and overall personality.  Sparkling and clear eyes are the sign of contentment and good health. 

However, unhealthy lifestyles, lack of proper sleep and the excessive use of mobile phones, laptops, and computers have adversely affected your eyes. Unhealthy eyes create many eye problems such as blurred vision, dry eyes, dark circles etc. 

Here are best 5 ways to keep your eyes always healthy and beautiful. 

1. Maintain water level

• Drinking sufficient amount of water and eating green leafy vegetables can keep your eyes hydrated. Increase fluid intake ensures proper blood circulation in the eyes. Consuming fresh fruit juice also keeps the eyes hydrated.
• Splash your eyes with normal water a few times a day to keep the water level in the eyes maintained. This also helps to re-energize the tired and dull eyes.
• Do not look on your computer or a smart phone screen for too long, frequently blink your eyes to maintain water level and to prevent them from drying. 

2. Eye exercise 

• Doing simple eye exercise can enhance the blood circulation to the eyes and gives you relief from eyestrain.  
• Move your finger in front of your eyes, vertically and horizontally. Move your eyeballs along with the movement of your finger. Regularly do this exercise for 10 minutes.
• Close your eyes, squeeze them, and then open your eyes swiftly and as wide as possible. Follow this exercise until water starts coming from your eyes. This drains the excessive fluid from your eyes. 

3. Rose water

• Rose water is the best natural cleanser for the eyes. It reduces the pressure around eyes and gives you soothing effect. 
• The antibacterial and antiseptic properties of rose water, reduce the stress, fatigue, and cool down your eyes. Rose water also reduces the puffiness beneath the eyes.
• Dip cotton in rose water, close your eyes and clean the area around your eyes with it. You can also soak cotton ball in rose water, place it on your closed eyes and leave for 10 minutes.

4. Eye massage

• Tenderly massage your eyes to improve the blood circulation and get relief from eyestrain.
• Rub the palm of your hands together aggressively to make them warm, now close your eyes, place warm palm on your close eyes, and feel the warm and soothing effect.
• Lightly dip your fingers in coconut oil, massage the area around your eyes using your finger. Massage inner and outer eye circles, eyebrows, and area under your eyes.

5. Cucumber 

• The presence of caffeic and ascorbic acid in the cucumber helps in storing the water in your eyes for a long time. 
• Cucumber reduces the puffiness, swelling and dark circles beneath your eyes and provides a glow to your eyes and skin.
• Lie down, place the two thick slices of cucumber on both the eyes and leave it on your eyes for at least 20 minutes to get the best results.

Common eye problems in older age

Eye problems are common in older age and can seriously affect your quality of life. Many eye conditions are treatable, and some require urgent action. Here are some of the more common eye conditions:

1. Age-related cataracts: A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the front bit of your eye. The causes are unknown. However, certain factors like smoking, overexposing your eyes to sunlight, taking steroid drugs for a long time, a history of cataracts in your family or poor diet may all play a role. When you develop cataracts, you may notice a ‘glare’ in bright light or when you drive at night and you may have difficulty differentiating objects in low light.
2. Age-related macular degeneration: This condition affects an area in the back of your eye called the macula. You’re at higher risk of developing it if, among other factors, you smoke, drink more than four units of alcohol a day or have been exposed to lots of sunlight in your life. You may find that straight edges such as bookshelves or door frames look distorted, or that your vision is generally more blurred. You may also develop blind spots. Consult your ophthalmologist for more details.
3. Chronic glaucoma: In this condition you have an increased pressure in one or both of your eyes – often caused by fluid within your eye not draining away freely. You may not notice this problem at first, but if left for too long, glaucoma may permanently affect your vision (which is why the condition is known as ‘the thief of sight’).
4. Diabetes: Too much sugar in your blood can lead to chronic eye problems, with damage to the back of your eye (called diabetic retinopathy) being an important one.
5. Dry eyes: In dry eye syndrome (or keratoconjunctivitis sicca), your tears drain away or evaporate too fast. You may notice grittiness, tearing of your eyes and redness. We don’t know what causes dry eyes, but ageing, hormonal changes, illnesses and medicines are all thought to play a role. 

If you suffer from eye problems, consulting your eye specialist is usually best. Seek medical advice immediately if you notice any of these symptoms:

• You suddenly lose your vision fully or partially.
• You have a headache in addition to any visual symptoms.
• You can’t think straight in connection with your eye problem.
• You have a painful eye at the same time as loss of vision.