CARE OF THE EYES, NOSE AND EAR

Care of the eyes

Use good light when reading or doing any fine work such as sewing. Poor light strains the eyes.
Do not rub the eye when you have something in it.
Do not wash your eyes with disinfectant unless on doctor’s advice.
Do not borrow another person’s face towel for wiping your eyes.
Do not look directly at an electric light or the sun.
Do no fix your eyes to watching television, reading books, writing or sewing for very long periods. Relax the eyes by looking up from time to time.
Do not hold a book or work too near to the face. This causes a strain on the eyes.
Do not watch television in a completely dark room.
Do not sit too close to the television screen or continually view it lying in front of the set on the floor.
Eat food rich in vitamin A such as carrots, green vegetables, and red palm oil.
Have eye-tests by an eye-doctor (optician) if you are already wearing glasses or when you have headaches or sore watering eyes when reading books, or other forms of eye problems.
If you have to wear glasses, do so according to the optician’s instruction, and keep it clean always.

Lack of proper care for the eyes can lead to:

Common eye defects

Long sightedness: results in inability to see objects that are too near. But objects that are far can be seen.
Short sightedness: results in inability to see objects that are far away. But objects that are near can be seen.
Night blindness: results in inability to see in the dark.

In each case it is necessary to see an optician.

Removal of foreign objects in the eyes

Do not rub the eyes.
Pull the lower eyelid down and examine it carefully for the foreign object. Use a mirror if possible or get some one to do it for you.
Remove the object with the point of a damp clean handkerchief. If the object is under the upper eyelid, turn back the lid, examine it and have it removed.
Alternatively, dip the eyes in a bowl of clean water.

If the two methods fail to remove the object, see the doctor.

Care of the nose

Avoid pushing objects into the nose.
Avoid picking or poking the nose with finger nail or any object.
Blow the nose gently and avoid the habit of sniffing.
Avoid plucking the hair in the nose.
When it is necessary, the nose should be cleaned with clean handkerchief or a clean piece of soft tissue paper.
See a doctor for the treatment of any nose infection.

Result of lack of care of the nose

Removal of foreign objects from the nose

When a foreign object such as a seed enters one nostril, close the unaffected one with the finger and blow the affected one. It the object fails to come out see a doctor.
If both nostrils are blocked, breathe through the mouth and see a doctor immediately.
Do not attempt to remove any foreign object by poking at it with any instrument.

Nose decoration

In some culture women wear rings and jewelries on their nose, for instance the Fulani women.

Care of the ear

Avoid putting any sharp object into the ear.
Wash the outer ear daily and dry carefully with clean towel.
Do not attempt to reach your internal ear (i.e. the middle ear and inner ear) with an object.
Remove small excess of wax in the ear canal gently with cotton swab.
Large deposits of wax in the ear should be removed by the doctor.
Any form of ear-ache could be a danger sign for infection and should be reported to a doctor.

Removal of foreign bodies from the ears

Result of lack of care for the ear

Excess deposit of wax in the ear can block the ear tube and lead to temporary deafness.
Poking the ear with sharp object can damage the ear drum and lead to permanent deafness.
When the ear is infected as a result of lack of care, the brain can also become infected. This is because both organs are connected and work together.

Ear decoration

Their weight can tear the ear. Long dangling earrings can also be dangerous. When an earring makes the ears sore, it should be discarded.