The white portion of eye that you see is called sclera. Almost 80 percent of eye surface is made up of sclera. On the anterior side, sclera surrounds cornea. Sclera is a tough fibrous connective tissue. It helps in maintaining the shape of eyeball and protects the eye from external damage.
Eye is the first thing that is noticed when you look at the person. Often the appearance of clear and white eye (sclera) is linked with health and beauty. Whiter the sclera, more beautiful the eye appear. However, with aging eye too undergoes certain changes. Most of them are linked with eye functions. Some changes are cosmetic such as drooping of eyelids, puffiness under eyes, and yellow discoloration of sclera. This outwardly changes do not affect vision, but some people may not like them.
Causes of yellowish hue on sclera:
In fact yellowish discoloration of sclera is the first sign of aging besides formation of wrinkles on face. According to researchers the yellowish hue is due to prolonged exposure to dust, wind, cold and heat, and UV rays rather than aging process. If you want to whiten your sclera, there are several natural methods that you can follow. Eating healthy food and avoiding too much exposure to UV rays has significant influence in keeping your eye healthy and white. Here are natural methods for your eye to look whiter.
Eat foods containing vitamins and minerals:
Eating nutritious food is extremely important for maintaining healthy eyes. A diet comprising of vitamins, minerals is essential for healthy eye. Eat foods that are rich in vitamin A. Carrots, papaya, peaches, mangoes, sweet potato, liver, apricots, egg yolk, etc are rich in vitamin A. Also include foods that are rich in vitamin C and E such as nuts, oranges, strawberry, grapefruits, hazelnuts, wheat germ etc. Fresh fruits and vegetable juice contains high amount of vitamin C. This vitamin is beneficial for brightening the white around the pupils. You can drink orange juice, carrot juice, or any other fresh juice.
A gentle massage under the eye relaxes the strained eye muscles. It keeps your eye youthful. It also helps to tighten the skin around the eye that has become puffy.
Use make up tricks:
Besides the nutrients certain other factors also make your sclera appear whiter. It is actually a makeup trick. Use of blue black mascara is effective for making your sclera look whiter. Similarly an indigo shadow or navy blue shadow will make the eye appear youthful and brighter. Another trick is to apply brightening concentrate under the eyes. It makes the appearance of white brighter. Also it hides the fine lines that develop under the eyes.