Eye afflictions are becoming a more common and frequent health issue within big cities. Dry eye syndrome, infectious and allergic diseases, inflammation, and even parasites are some of the typical eye ailments within a big city. In addition, we also spend a lot of our time staring at computer monitors and TV screens for long durations, putting strain on our eyes. Dr. William Boothe, director of Boothe Eye care has the following recommendations:

Sensing Dry Eye
A very common eye ailment that many people residing in large cities endure (especially office workers) is dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndromes includes symptoms such as unobtrusive burning, dryness and a feeling of sand or tingling in the eyes, a change in visual acuity, and severe redness of the eyes. Dry eye syndromes are particularly amplified when you are in a room or car with an air conditioner running. Air conditioned rooms are colder, and contain less humidity than the average room, along with little or no ventilation. The lack of humidity can dry out the natural lubricants protecting your eyes from airborne irritants and infections, leading to dry eyes and irritation. Over long periods of time, your body’s natural tear film and tear production can become altered.
A method of counteracting dry eyes is by using artificial tears, a special type of eye drops specifically engineered to imitate natural tears. However not all types of drops are suitable for treating dry eye syndrome, for example helium-based products may further aggravate dry eyes resulting in cloudy or blurry vision. Dr. Boothe advises to use lubricating drops which not only provide relief, but also contains ingredients which will stimulate healing of the eyes.
Parched membranes of the eyes can be treated by using a humidifier to increase the moisture level in a room or with applications of an extract of Aloe Vera leaves (used externally as a lotion).

Vision Vitamin
According to Dr. Boothe of Boothe Eyecare, dry eyes can be caused by vitamin deficiency. The lack of vitamins A and B can be a cause of vision degeneration. In our bodies, vitamin A is responsible for night vision, eye lubrication and the generation of pigments necessary for correct retina function, which is why vitamin A is sometimes referred to as Retinol. Carrots are a great source of vitamin A, along with Carotene another essential nutrient necessary for eye health. Vitamin A can be found in foods such as apricots, almonds, spinach, eggplant, beets, green onions, red peppers, tangerines, butter, ands and fish. Carotene is present in carrots, pumpkins, lettuce and sorrel. Vitamin B’s are essential for maintaining your nervous system. Vitamin B can be found most abundantly in beans, nuts and whole grain products.

Wash your hands often
This rule is advised in order to increase prevention of eye diseases. Presently people are greatly concerned about infectious eye diseases and bacterial diseases. An example would be conjunctivitis, which is a consequence of an infection. The infection of the edges of the eyelids, which include symptoms of redness, burning, and itching of the eyelids is called blepharitis.
Even if you believe that your eye issues are minor and may and probably will go away, please do not treat them as a very minor trifling issue. Instead schedule an appointment to your regular ophthalmologist, because small minor issues left untreated may lead to chronic problems.