Eye Health
Eye advice from the experts
Protecting our eyesight has come into sharp focus as Spain
continues to work and socialise from home during lockdown.
don’t need to adjust to it, meaning it has relaxing, soothing and
restorative properties.”
Specsavers Ópticas’ eye health experts are urging caution
around the undue strain that staring for hours at a computer
screen, excessive use of smart devices, overdosing on TV, back-
to-back tele and video conferencing and face-timing family
and friends, will place on people’s senses in their bid to beat
boredom and keep themselves entertained.
Symptoms To Watch Out For
While most eye conditions are minor, if you experience any of
the following it’s important to get in touch with your local
optometrist.
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Redness, pain or discomfort
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Blurred vision
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Flashes of light
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An increase in the number of visible floaters
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Sudden loss of vision
The optician’s eye health experts have devised an at-home
health guide packed with advice and tips to help the nation
protect their eyes at this difficult time.
Although Specsavers is currently closed to business as usual,
stores will continue to provide urgent support and advice to
the public over the phone. To find contact details for your
nearest stores visit, www.specsavers.es/stores
At-Home Sensory Health Guide
Avoiding Eye Strain
Working on a laptop, using a mobile to keep in touch with
loved ones and abreast of the news or settling down to a box
set with your family – daily screen time is likely to increase
dramatically in the coming weeks.
Choosing The Right Foods
Look for foods online and in stores that are rich in eye-health
boosting nutrients. Here are some great options to put into
your basket -
Specsavers Ópticas optometrist and store director Amrik
Sappal says: “As we’re mostly confined to our homes and with
99.5% of Spanish households owning a television, it’s no stretch
to assume many of us will spend more time in front of a
screen.
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“But eyes are not designed to be fixated on a single object for a
long period of time so can often become strained when we
focus on screens, especially if they are a smaller laptop, tablet
or smart device screens.
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“While eye strain is uncomfortable, it’s not usually serious, and
tends to alleviate once you rest your eyes. Symptoms to look
out for include eye discomfort, headaches, sore, tired, burning
or itchy eyes, difficulty focusing, watery eyes, dry eyes, blurred
or double vision, and increased sensitivity to light.”
Spinach and kale, for example, are rich in Lutein, which is
essential to functioning eyes.
Oily fish such as salmon, is packed full of Omega3, which is
great for overall health including the eyes.
Kiwi gives a burst of A, B and C vitamins, which help
maintain healthy cells and tissues in the eyes.
Eggs have antioxidant properties which can reduce your risk
of developing age-related macular degeneration.
Meanwhile, peppers contain zeaxanthin, which helps to
absorb potentially damaging types of light.
It’s also good general health advice to keep your water bottle
topped up, particularly when you are stuck indoors, as good
hydration can help avoid dry eyes. And of course, picking up
good habits and cutting out the bad ones, like smoking, will
also protect your eyes.
To combat these common eye concerns Sappal advises you to:
Rest your eyes - Follow the 20:6:20 rule. Look up from your
screen every 20 minutes and look at something 6 metres away
for at least 20 seconds. Looking into the distance helps relax
the focusing muscles of your eyes, which in turn reduces eye
fatigue.
This rule is also important for parents who have children being
schooled online at home. Monitor how much screen time they
have each day and make sure that they have regular breaks.
Reduce glare - Reflections on your computer screen can cause
glare and lead to eye strain. Try reducing this by attaching an
anti-glare screen to your monitor, or covering windows to
avoid external light shining onto the screen.
Go green - Incorporating the colour green into our home
working environment is good for our eyes, brain and
wellbeing.
Colour expert, author and influencer, Martha Roberts, explains:
“Green has the reputation for being a colour of balance and
tranquillity and because it sits in the centre of the colour
spectrum it’s the easiest colour for us to see because our eyes
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