If you are an office worker who sits in front of a computer screen all day, and after work swipes away on your mobile phone, plays on a Nintendo Switch or other electronic devices, you are at risk of “diseases of affluence,” including tired and sore eyes. To avoid dry eye syndrome, in addition to resting your eyes, you can use eye massage techniques and eat nutritious foods to alleviate the symptoms.
Smartphone addicts and office workers glued to screens all day often go for long periods without blinking; this can lead to tiredness, dry eye syndrome and sore eyes. According to ophthalmologist Wang Meng-chi, getting a good night’s sleep and using a steam eye mask can help. However, Wang also recommends massaging acupressure points around the eye area, including the eyebrows, between and at the tips of the eyebrows, the temples, below the eye sockets and the corners of the eyes near the bridge of the nose. Wang advises massaging each of these areas in turn to relieve discomfort.
In addition to massaging the eye area, nutritionist Kao Min-min also recommends eating certain foods, such as seasonal watermelon, which contains 90 percent water, and vegetables such as gherkin, cucumber and winter melon to relieve dry eye syndrome. Kao also recommends eating deep-sea fish such as salmon, tuna, Pacific saury and mackerel, which are rich in fish oils and can reduce inflammation, one to three times a week. Vegetable oil-containing foods such as nuts are also beneficial to eye health, Kao adds.
Photo: Yang Chieh-en, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報記者楊劼恩
Kao says a lack of vitamin A can increase the severity of dry eye syndrome so, in addition to taking in more oil-rich foods, she recommends supplementing the diet with starchy foods such as sweet potato or pumpkin, vegetables such as red and yellow peppers, fruits such as papaya, watermelon or cantaloupe melon and berry fruits such as blueberries. All of these foods contain anthocyanin, says Kao, which has antioxidant properties and is excellent at reducing inflammation.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
上班時常常看電腦螢幕工作,下班又滑手機、玩switch等3C用品,現代文明病「眼睛疲勞、痠痛」,就這樣無聲無息進入生活。如果想擺脫眼睛乾澀的症狀,除了讓眼睛多休息,跟著眼科醫生教學的眼部按摩法減緩不適,營養師也分享對眼睛乾澀有幫助的食物。
Photo: Yang Chieh-en, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報記者楊劼恩
低頭族、上班族久看螢幕,眼睛時常會忘記眨眼,造成疲勞、乾澀或痠痛的症狀,眼科醫師王孟祺說:「充足的睡眠、熱敷可以幫助減緩痠痛。」並教學如何按摩眼部穴道,包括眉頭、眉心、眉毛尾端、太陽穴、眼眶下緣中間,還有內眼角的位置,輪流按壓這些部位,可以減緩眼睛不適。
除了眼部按摩方法能舒緩疲勞症狀,營養師高敏敏也分享幾個對眼睛乾澀有幫助的食物,像是現在夏天當季的西瓜有百分之九十的含水量,蔬菜的話像是小黃瓜、大黃瓜、冬瓜。油脂的部分,建議大家一周可以吃一至三次的深海魚,包含鮭魚、鮪魚、秋刀魚、鯖魚,裡面的魚油可以降發炎。植物性的油脂,如堅果,對眼睛也有益處。
除了油脂的攝取,高敏敏也補充:「維生素A的低下,有可能會讓眼睛的乾澀更加嚴重,所以可以補充像是澱粉類的地瓜、南瓜,蔬菜類的紅椒、黃椒,或者是木瓜、西瓜、哈密瓜以及藍莓等莓果類,這些含有花青素的食材,對於抗氧化能力、降低發炎的反應也很強。」
(自由時報記者楊劼恩)