Summer Heat, Water and Eyesight
July is usually the most enjoyable but could be the hottest summer month. In the heat of summer, we easily get dehydrated. Most people know it is essential to drink more water during this season. But how much water do we need? There are several rules that could be used. One common recommendation is to make sure we drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water (about 2 liters) a day. Another common recommendation to determine the amount of daily water intake is to drink a number of ounces of water that is equal to half of your weight in pounds. As an example, if you weigh 160 lbs., it is recommended that you drink 80 ounces of water per day. Almost 70% of our body is made up of water. And it serves many essential functions like regulating body temperature by sweating and respiration, nutrient transport in the bloodstream to vital organs, flushing waste through urination. Dehydration can also drain us of energy and make us feel sleepy, sluggish, and headachy. One of the most important organs to keep hydrated is the brain, 73% of which is composed of water. When dehydrated, we often can’t think clearly and perform important mental tasks.
Eye Hydration and Dry Eye Syndrome (DES): Due to dehydration and without adequate moisture, our eyes become dry and uncomfortable. We may feel burning, stinging, scratchiness in our eyes. Our eyes can appear red and have a tired look. Sometimes dry eyes can cause our eyes to tear more. Our body senses that eyes are not moist enough and tries to compensate by producing an abundance of tears. So, we may notice excess tearing while watching television, using the computer, or reading.
DES happens because of dehydration and insufficient lubrication due to stare, blinking less, especially while using computers and other digital devices. A common recommendation is lubricating eye drops, which help temporarily but do not address the cause. But there are easy nonprescription methods to relief dry eyes, like blinking more. Try thirty 30 fast blinking several times a day or whenever you feel dryness, it brings fast and natural lubrication within minutes. Lacrimal glands produce tears and meibomian glands produce oily parts of the tears, so that the tears don't evaporate too quickly. Tears constantly bathe our eyes in moisture, wash away debris, and prevent bacteria from causing infections. In severe cases, dry eyes may cause ulcers on our cornea, the clear layer of the eye that covers the iris.
Cataracts and dehydration: Studies show that dehydration is one of the reasons of developing cataracts, the condition when lens becomes cloudy, dense, loses elasticity, ability to accommodate and vision deteriorates. Age related cataract develops in 50s and 60s, when people tend to drink less water generally. Thirst signal becomes more unreliable with age.
Circulation, blood supply and health: During dehydration our blood becomes thicker, and it slows down circulation to all organs, including our eyes. In severe cases of heat stroke when the body loses water, blurred vision is among other warning symptoms like dizziness, light-headedness, weakness, fatigue, headache, muscle aches.
Staying Alert to your water needs: One problem is that it is very difficult to distinguish the feelings of thirst and hunger. The best way to meet the daily requirement for water intake is to drink 2 liters/64 ounces of water per day. This can be helped with habits like keeping water bottles nearby throughout the day and refilling them as you drink. While some of the water we need can come from unsweetened nonalcoholic liquids (alcoholic and caffeinated drinks dehydrate), we can also get some water intake from the food we eat. About 2 cups of water come from plant foods. Eating water-rich foods like fresh fruit and vegetables can also be essential to stay healthy and maintain the function of our body, heart, brain, eyes, and muscles.
Natural Vision Improvement: As you may know I lead quarterly vision improvement classes using Bates method. I started using it and stopped wearing my distance and reading glasses. I am happy that medical training in Ophthalmology and my experience in health counseling could be combined by helping people naturally improve their vision. Please join our summer class that starts July 8 if you are interested in improving and preserving your eyesight by emailing me at milasnutrition@gmail.com
Summer time...
Summer is finally here, and so is the sun! We can now fully enjoy the weather and this beautiful season. It also means spending long hours outdoors. To enjoy the sun, we need to do it wisely.
Vitamin D Production: Whenever we think of sun, we often think of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is not a vitamin but a hormone. We all produce vitamin D in response to sun exposure. Vitamin D is not found in foods, so we need sunlight to produce it. So, Vitamin D is a hormone. To that end, the sun has contributed to our survival. There were no fortified foods and vitamin D pills until recently, so we relied on sunshine to stimulate the production of vitamin D.
Life Expectancy: Researchers reported that sun exposure lowers risk of cardiovascular disease, incidence of thromboembolism, high blood pressure and diabetes. Other studies reported increased survival rates for skin cancer patients who spent time in the sun and that sun exposure (especially without protection) may increase the risk of skin cancer, but it does not decrease life expectancy and has a better prognosis.
Sun and the Eyes: On sunny days our eyes often need protection, especially at the beach, on the water or mountains. As a trained ophthalmologist I was taught to recommend patients wearing sunglasses for eye protection from ultraviolet (UV) exposure. It is true, that we should avoid looking straight at the sun. But just like the rest of the body, our eyes need a dose of Vitamin D.
Tips: Here are some tips to protect your eyes from UV damage:
- Wear a broad-brimmed hats
- Sunlight is strongest midday to early afternoon, at higher altitudes and when reflected off water or snow in the mountains.
- Never look directly at the sun, it can damage the retina-the back and an especially important part of the eye. Instead, close your eyes facing the sun- this practice called sunning will help your eyes to adapt to the bright light and improve eyesight down the road.
- Palming is another useful practice to improve your vision and relief an eye strain. Covering the eyes with the palms creating total darkness and alternating it with sunning is a great way to exercise the intraocular sphincter muscle responsible for focusing and sharp vision.
Cataracts and how a healthy diet can help: Perhaps unsurprisingly, June is also Cataract Awareness month. A cataract is a clouding of the lens, causing blurred vision and glare that cannot be corrected with contact lenses or glasses. A clouded lens can be surgically removed and replaced by an artificial lens. I have performed or assisted in many of those surgeries. Several factors, including aging, have a significant effect on the development of cataracts. The proteins that make up the lens of the eye have inefficient turnover, which decreases with age. It makes lenses less flexible, thicker, and cloudy. Diet and lifestyle habits like increased intake of alcohol, and dehydration contribute to the development of cataracts. Health status impacts both eye health and the risk of cataract development due to several studies. Having diabetes, taking oral steroids, smoking, a high body-mass index (BMI) and taking medications for gout also increase the risk of cataracts. In another study researchers reported that people who eat more fruit, vegetables, and whole grains have a lower risk of cataracts. Eating more colorful, carotenoid-rich foods, such as carrots, tomatoes, oranges, and spinach, also protects against age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 35% according to a study published online in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Time in the Sun: Of course, sun exposure and restrictions should vary by geographic area. In northern latitudes where the UV index is low, less restriction on “sun time” may be acceptable, for example. Using sunscreen is advisable if we spend a long time in the sun. One of the researchers, Dr. Lindqvist said this about sunscreen: “If you’re using it to be out longer in the sun, you’re using it in the wrong manner,” he said. However, “If you are stuck on a boat and have to be out, it’s probably better to have sunscreen than not to have it.”
So, this summer, let’s wisely get enough Vitamin D, by staying active outside, grab a nutritious picnic with plenty of veggies and fruit…and enjoy the sun!
