Santa’s Eye Care Tips for Christmas!(Last tip is important)

As we joyfully embrace the Christmas season, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, we step into a jubilant celebration of religious and cultural significance. Christmas often centers around cherished traditions such as the iconic Christmas tree, heartwarming family meals and the giving of gifts.

Image by Patrick Nizan

Christmas Trees

Having a Christmas tree put up represents Christmas. When decorating your fir trees, the choice of Christmas tree lights used matters. While LED lights are most commonly used as they dazzle our trees with their vibrant glow, the blue light emitted from LED may cause eye strain or blurry vision, and long term exposure may possibly worsen myopia. In order to strike a balance between radiance and your ocular eye health, consider dimmer lights to avoid dazzling extremes yet still having that bedazzling allure! Another thing to note is the stray branches from your Christmas trees, especially for families with young children, as these branches may inadvertently cause harm to children eagerly reaching below the tree for their presents. Thus, do remember to trim any stray branches to avoid potential injuries to the cornea (that’s where your contact lens goes!).

Traditional Christmas Meals

Amidst delicious delights that await us in this season of indulgence, consider incorporating some eye-friendly festive foods too! Turkey and salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which not only satisfies our taste buds, but also contributes to optimal eye health. On the other hand, reduce the amount of processed meats like bacon and ham consumed. High salt content in these foods may elevate the risk of various eye problems, such as cataract (cloudiness that forms in the eye) and glaucoma (caused by high pressure in the eye). Furthermore, as we toast into the celebration of Christmas, do consume alcohol in moderation, as overindulgence may lead to dry eyes, distorted and blurry vision, and even migraines.

Image by Tim Douglas

Exchanging of Gifts 

In the excitement of gift giving, exercise prudence when giving gifts like paintball guns, especially to children. Though seemingly fun and thrilling, these gifts pose underlying hazards to their eyes. Supervise children closely and ensure that they are wearing protective eyewear when using these items, so that the joy of gifts do not compromise the safety of their delicate eyes.

5 tips for your eyes this Christmas

While Christmas is a season of joy and warmth as families gather together, here are 5 tips (a recap) to protect your eyes:

1. Consider using dimmer lights for your Christmas trees.

2. Trim off any stray branches from your Christmas trees.

3. Increase your intake on healthy foods like Turkey and Salmon, while reducing your intake on alcohol and foods with high salt content.

4. Supervise your child when playing games that pose a hazard to their eyes.

5. Stay hydrated!

Image by Jonathan Borba

This Christmas, let the incandescent glow of lights and festivities illuminate our homes, as we navigate the festivities with mindfulness of the potential impact on our eyes. As we savor the season with our Christmas spirit, let our vision of joy be seen! (pun intended)

Founder's Note: We would like to take this opportunity to remind our readers that the birthplace and country of Jesus Christ(PBUH) is currently in turmoil and destruction. There is no Christmas there as the churches are in ruins and are not safe anywhere. We openly pick the side of humanity and condemn any false statements regarding the genocide. To us, educating ourselves comes first. Then taking action would be the next step.

For donation of humanitarian aid to Gaza, you may donate to:

https://www.islamic-relief.sg/rebuild-gaza/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAyp-sBhBSEiwAWWzTnkgT-BB8IiFwSjVCgtXLWC5J8f6d8U9LH-ZO72ddw-YWFBPMacQxNhoCHW0QAvD_BwE

They are accredited, registered, fully-approved in Britain, earned Premier Charity Status in the UK and overall well-reviewed.

For donation of food aid to Yemen as the World Food Programme(WFP), which partners with a lot of charity organisations, has suspended aid to Yemen, watch this space as we continue our research for donations.