Nigerians, journalists in particular, have been advised to avoid marathon reading to safeguard their eyes.
They were also warned against visiting quacks and chemists for eye treatment.
An eye expert, Dr Azeez Amuda (Baba Oloju), gave the advice during a health talk organized by the Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara Council, as part of its 2024 press week activities.
He advised journalists to undergo eye test at least once yearly.
According to him, the eyes should be given some rest every one hour by closing it for like two minutes before continuing with viewing things.
“Its like somebody running a race for two hours non stop against one that observed two minutes rest at interval, who among them will be exhausted first”, he said.
Baba Oloju further warned against eye medication from hearsay.
“There are several cases of people who listen to hearsay on how to care for their eyes but end up losing both eyes.
“Just like conjunctivitis in newborns, in which babies bring out discharge in their eyes and mothers are advised to insert breast milk to clear the eyes, which can lead to complete blindness,” he stressed.
The expert therefore advised people to always visit hospitals and eyes experts before taking any step in treating their eyes and getting eye glasses.
He added that high blood pressure could lead to eye problems, saying there is need to monitor patients’ blood pressure while treating their eye problems.