The eyes are the windows to the soul. Without sight, the world is engulfed in darkness and even the simplest daily tasks become a challenge. The prevention of vision loss is a cause that sits close to the heart of L’Occitane.
The fight to raise awareness about the importance of sight started in 1997 with product names included in braille on the packaging of L’Occitane’s products. Fast forward to 2006, the Provencal beauty brand established the L’Occitane Foundation with supporting the visually impaired as one of their core missions. So far, more than two million people have benefitted from eye care thanks to L’Occitane’s efforts.
Closer to home, L’Occitane Malaysia has begun charitable work to back the initiative in partnership with the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) since 2008. This year’s fundraising endeavours include sales of a limited edition kit in all L’Occitane boutiques worldwide from 1 October to 31 December with 100% of the profits channeled towards selected local NGOs to support the visually impaired. MAB and Penang’s St. Nicholas’ Home will be putting the proceeds into activities to prevent avoidable blindness, such as eye screenings, prescribing glasses, providing adequate education through talks, and more.
Blindness is largely avoidable with early detection and timely treatment. Here are five ways to take better care of your eyes:
1. Incorporate food with Omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, vitamin A and antioxidants into your diet to reduce the risk of eye disease. Examples are leafy greens, nuts, eggs, and oily fish like salmon or cod.
2. Invest in a good pair of sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
3. Take breaks from screen-time, rest your eyes for 15 minutes after every two hours of staring at a screen.
4. Cut down on sugar to avoid diabetic retinopathy – a leading cause of blindness among working individuals.
5. Give your eyes a regular workout: Look from side to side and then, up and down. Next, while keeping your eyes open, rotate your eyeballs to the left, followed by a roll to the right. Be sure to focus on what you see and repeat each exercise five times for a few minutes per day to strengthen eye muscles.
- Don’t take your gift of sight for granted.
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