Protecting Your Eyes

shiny and your mind clear.

Five pieces of advice for healthy eyes

• Don’t read or write close to the text. The distance between

  your eyes and the book should be equal to the length of a semi-bent

  arm. The lighting should be bright, not less than 60 watts, but it shouldn’t

  shine directly into the eyes. Never read or write while lying down,

  especially when lying on your side, because in this position your eyes

  are in a different distance from the text;

• The distance between the eyes and the computer screen should not

  be less than 2 feet;

• Don’t watch TV too closely. Ideally, the distance should equal

  six lengths of the TV diagonal. For example, a TV with a 20-inch diameter

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  should be watched from the distance of 10 feet. The light shouldn’t

  fall on the screen or bother the eyes.

• Alcohol and smoking influence eyesight negatively. Substances contained

  in cigarettes irritate the optic nerve and lower the sharpness of the

  eyesight (by the way, second-hand smoke does this as well). Often nicotine

  causes malfunctions in distinguishing colors: first, it is hard to distinguish

  the color green, then red, yellow and blue;

• Don’t wear sunglasses constantly. Wearing them in semi-darkness

  will harm your eyes.

Some rules for those who wear contact lenses

• Wash your hands properly before touching contact lenses
• Always apply a special solution after you remove the lenses
• Don’t use contact lens solution twice
• Don’t sleep with the lenses in (except if you wear special

  lenses for nonstop wear or medical ones which are put on before going

  to sleep)

• Only use lenses if the package is sealed and has not been disturbed

• Don’t wear lenses when sick with the flu
• Use only sterile lenses with a good “best before” date
• Remove lenses if you feel dryness or irritation, redness or have

  blurred vision