Take care of your eyes and feet at Carnival

Protecting and taking care of your body is essential especially during the Carnival festivities. Catholic News sought the expert’s advice on how to protect your eyes and feet during the season.

FEET

Keith Nancoo, foot health care practitioner and owner at KYN Foot Care shares some tips for your Carnival feet. To know more, visit his Facebook page KYN Foot Care.

1. No new shoes

Don’t wear or play mas with new sneakers, boots or other footwear. Footwear should be bought a month to a month and a half before Carnival. Wear the shoes during that period so that they will conform to the shape of your feet.

2. Buy your correct size

Footwear should not be bought too big. When the footwear is too big, it creates movement in the footwear and friction which could lead to blisters, bruising toes nails especially on the big toe which could lead to nails falling off.

3. Avoid high heels

Masqueraders should not wear high heels because these place pressure on the metatarsal head which leads to falling metatarsals. Play mas in comfortable sneakers with proper inserts. Gel toe caps add protection to toes.

4. Revive your feet

After a day of mas, masqueraders should exercise their feet, crunch and release the toes, and move them around in a circular movement from the ankles (ankle circles). Apply an ice pack to sore areas but only for a few minutes at a time.

EYES

Paint, powder, water, mud, large crowds and unexpected projectiles. Should you be wearing goggles? Dr Marcel Iwueke at Goodway Optical Limited shares these tips to ensure persons protect their eyesight during the festive season.

1. Wear prescribed transitions lenses

Prolonged exposure of the eyes to Ultra violet rays (UVR) can cause Photokeratitis (inflammation of the cornea, the central black part of the eyeball) and Photo conjunctivitis (inflammation of the white membrane of the eyeball). Continual exposure are risk factors for development of cataracts (the clouding of the natural lens of the eyes causing it to lose its transparency). Pterygium (a non-cancerous flesh growth over the cornea) is also very common especially in tropical countries.

2. Use protective goggles on the road

While it may not be deemed fashionable, it’s worth the consideration. Chemical exposure can cause eye-related problems which may demand ocular emergencies otherwise serious or permanent blindness may result. The first aid in case of chemical entering the eyes is immediate eye irrigation. Also be wise in the usage of eye make-ups and face painting as excess may cause allergic conjunctivitis.

3. Wash hands and avoid rubbing eyes

Beyond doubt, the best way to protect yourself from the spread of communicable disease is to wash your hands with soap frequently. Doing this helps to avoid contracting eye-related conditions, such as bacterial conjunctivitis and viral conjunctivitis. You often develop conjunctivitis after touching something that someone else has touched after they rubbed their eyes. Frequent hand washing while on the road may not be feasible but using hand sanitiser will suffice.

4. Wear hats

Even if you wear sunglasses every time you go outside, you are not offering complete ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protection to your eyes and eyelids. The gaps found along the sides of sunglasses still offer exposure to UVR. Wear a hat with a brim of at least three inches wide, to provide extra protection. Besides, a sunglasses-hat combo can complete your festive look!

5. Eat healthy and drink plenty water

How you eat is how you see. Many foods are rich in nutrients that could improve your eyesight and help prevent the development of long-term visual problems. Try adding a supplement or foods high in Vitamins C and E and zinc as these can reduce symptoms of age-related macular degeneration. Drinking plenty of water each day can prevent and reverse many of the negative effects of dehydration, as well as providing fluid for normal eye function.

6. Get adequate sleep

Even with the busyness of the Carnival season, you need to know that your eyes are counting on you to be rested! Rested eyes are important so that you don’t suffer decreased cognition on visual tasks.  Also, when you are tired, your eyes are more likely to feel dry which encourages you to rub them and can increase the likelihood of exposure to irritants and diseases.

7. Keep your eyewear safe

If you plan to do a lot of jumping, then be sure your glasses are well fitted so that your extra eyes are not jumped on if they fall from your face. If you have a spare pair of spectacles or contact lenses be sure to carry them with you in the event of an emergency.

By Kaelanne Jordan
Email: mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org
Twitter: @kaelanne1