EYES RIGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 156, 30 December 1938, Page 12

EYES RIGHT

PRESCRIPTION FOR BRIGHTNESS

A HOLIDAY RITUAL

There was once a' girl who had an infallible prescription for bright and, shining'eyes, writes Kate Carr in the "Daily Mail." She kept falling in love. That, of course, is all right so far as it goes. The trouble is that it can easily go too far. It is safer—and, in; the long run, easier—to keep the light in your eyes by looking after them. We work our eyes more, and look after them less, than almost any other part of our bodies, so it is not surprising that they show signs of wear before they should. Even on a holiday our unfortunate eyes, which have been subjected all the year to many kinds of treatment they're not prepared for, never get a look in. And when we feel tired out it is just as well to remember that our eyes have borne a good share of the strain —and show it first. Never vomit a regular bathe with an eye-bath and a good lotion every morning and, if you are on holiday or are going out to many parties, every, night as well. At night add an extra bit of routine. After bathing pat some eye cream on your lids and round your eyes to help smooth out those tired lines—and also to prevent the little wrinkles which will suddenly make their appearance overnight if you haven't been careful. Then make some pads from cotton wool, dip them in eye lotion, and fit them over your eyes. Give yourself five minutes' rest at least, changing the pads once or twice, and your tiredness will disappear. You will find this little ritual a good pick-me-up during the day, too; but in this case after your rest pat •the cream away from your eyes with cotton wool dipped in astringent lotion. The condition of your nerves and your general health may depend on the amount of strain to which you subject your eyes, so get into the habit of closing them whenever you have a minute to yourself. See that your bedroom is curtained well at night, too, to exclude all light. It is not enough to close your eyes; they must be protected as well. If, you like open curtains, give your eyes a chance by bandaging them lightly with a dark handkerchief. Don't waste your powers of "seeing." You do this when you read in a poor light, and when you fall into a "brown study" and stare without seeing. Doctors say that this staring habit actually dissipates mental power and decreases the ability to concentrate. The # trouble is that we are forcing our eyes nowadays to do something they weren't intended for—continually to observe objects at a short distance. The antidote to this is to look, as long and as often as we can, far into the distance. Look at the sky, but not the sun: observe the clouds. The best sky of all to study is a starry one, for this is a rest for the nerves as well as the eyes.