## What harms eyes? Tension is a common issue, as we have forgotten how to look far. Objects of our attention are mostly at a distance of 20–30 cm from our eyes including books, gadgets, notebooks, and computers. You have probably heard about the eye exercises of looking far and near alternately. While this is effective, there are other steps you can take to protect your eye health. ## How can you reduce the strain on your eyes? __Wear sunglasses.__ Even on cloudy days, your eyes will be less tired if you protect them with dark glasses — preferably with a special coating that blocks ultraviolet rays. Sunlight (just like any other very bright light) makes you squint, and the inner muscles responsible for focusing your vision react in a similar way. The scientific term for this is a spasm of accommodation: the eye muscles that control the lens become tired, stiff, and inelastic until the spasm passes. __Use glasses, not contact lenses.__ Try to wear contact lenses only ===when necessary. Even the best lenses dry out the cornea, which causes you to blink more often. Accordingly, the eye muscles are again under increased strain, and dryness leads to corneal inflammation. Be sure to drop an artificial tear into the eye or special drops if you wear contact lenses. Your eye doctor can help you choose the best option. __Avoid contrasting light.__ If you work, read or watch movies at night, do not turn off the light in the room where you are. Eyes react very poorly to changes in light. Be sure to set your gadgets to automatically adjust screen brightness so that you don't overload your eyes in the evening and at night before bed. __Pause.__ When working at the computer, pause every 45 minutes for 15 minutes, look out the window or at distant objects, or cover your eyes for at least a couple of minutes. __Do a workout for your eye muscles.__ Rotate your eyes clockwise and counterclockwise 10 times in each direction, then look alternately down, up, left and right, (without lowering or turning your head). Do this one or twice per day. __Listen instead of reading.__ Replace reading and watching videos with audio if possible. This will allow your eyes to rest. > There are eye diseases that cannot be prevented, including age-related cataracts, retinal detachment, atrophy of the optic nerve, and several others. ## Is it worth buying perforating glasses? The glasses are designed to reduce the spot of scattering on the retina and increase image sharpness (similar to a camera obscura), which helps to relax the eyes and give them a rest. This is an effective and easy way for people who don’t want to do eye exercises. However, the glasses cannot improve vision. And you should use them no longer than half an hour a day — otherwise, binocular (volumetric) vision will deteriorate. ## Can diet help with vision problems? There's no reliable data on the effect of food on vision. Many experts recommend eating vegetables and fruits such as carrots, blueberries, and apricots, but these are good in terms of the general recovery of the body — not specifically for the eyes. Vitamins [A](https://ul.orna.me/KOge/librarybiomarker?id=85), [B](https://ul.orna.me/KOge/librarybiomarker?id=33), and [C](https://ul.orna.me/KOge/librarybiomarker?id=50) — especially if the complex is chosen individually — can have a positive effect on vision. However, it only prevents further vision problems — it does not improve it.