Your eyes are one of the most valuable organs that you have. As you get older in years, however, you tend to take your eyes for granted. Because of this, eye diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma set in. As with taking care of your whole body, being proactive about your eye health is the key to your being able to enjoy good vision for many years to come. Here are some tips you can follow for maintaining optimal eye health:
Go for regular eye checkups.
Making regular visits to your ophthalmologist can greatly improve the health of your eyes. Sometimes, developing eye issues aren’t immediately obvious and might be ignored by the patient until it’s too late. Procedures such as routine dilated-eye exams, refraction tests, and interviews with your practitioner may reveal possible issues that can be treated if detected in their early stages. Also, your doctor can recommend better habits or prescription glasses to prevent further eye damage from happening to you. If you’re looking for expert eye care doctors, you may check this website.
Observe a healthy diet.
Your eyes would benefit greatly with proper diet. Green and leafy vegetables are quite helpful in terms of eye health, along with foods rich in Omega-3 such as salmon, tuna, or other oily fish. Non-meat protein sources such as eggs and nuts are also beneficial for good eye health.
As much as possible, stay away from high-fat foods, which can be deposited into your blood vessels and arteries. These deposits will restrict the blood flow to your eyes. Having a healthy diet also promotes proper weight maintenance. If you don’t care for your weight and you become obese, your risk for diabetes increases and this may lead to blindness.
Maintain healthy sleeping habits.
When observing proper sleep schedules, you give your eyes their much-needed rest. Having your eyes well-rested from fatigue due to heavy usage during the day will relieve the accumulated eye strain. Moreover, your eyes are being continuously lubricated while you’re sleeping. The lubricants will wash away all contaminants such as dust, pollution, and other microscopic particles in your eyes. This lubrication will protect your eyes from irritants and infections.
Exercise regularly.
Having an active lifestyle is also quite important for your eye health. Regular exercise will promote good blood circulation, improve oxygen levels in your eyes, and remove toxins.
Quit smoking.
Studies have shown that smoking increases the risk to contract age-related eye diseases such as cataracts or any damage to the optic nerve. All these diseases may lead to blindness if not treated immediately. If you smoke habitually, now may be the best time to stop.
Wear sunglasses when you’re exposed to direct sunlight.
Sunglasses aren’t just a fashion statement. When you’re under direct sunlight, you’re at risk of radiation damage from ultraviolet rays, both UVA and UVB. Sunglasses with the sufficient UV protection will greatly reduce the damage UV rays can cause to your eyes. UV damage may increase your chances of having cataracts if left untreated.
Use appropriate protective eyewear at work.
For people working in the manufacturing industry or any job which handles tools or are exposed outdoors, the risks of physical damage to the eyes are much greater. Every year, hundreds of eye injuries are reported. These could have been easily prevented if people wore proper eye protection. If you’re working in these kinds of industries, make sure to comply with guidelines for eye safety.
Possible injuries may range from being hit by tools, getting scratches from debris or particles, or getting burns from chemicals. By wearing the recommended protective eyewear for the job, you mitigate the risks that your eyes are exposed to.
Observe periodic rest periods when you’re working on computer screens.
For those of you who work at the office or spend hours in front of a monitor, it’s wise to have the discipline to take regular rest periods for the eyes. Prolonged exposure to computer screens may result in headaches, dry eyes, difficulty in focusing, and blurred vision. A common practice you may follow is the 20-20-20 rule. You look at a spot 20 feet away for 20 seconds, for every 20 minutes of staring at your screen. This practice will exercise your focusing muscles, relieve eye strain, and prevent eye fatigue from hurting you.
If you have the chance to walk around every once in a while, that would be much better. This would give you the added benefit of improving blood circulation to your whole body. One good tip is to stay properly hydrated, and time your toilet breaks with your eye rest periods. During your breaks, you can walk around and reset your eyes.
Conclusion
The sooner you start practicing better eye care habits, you increase your chances of maintaining good eyesight even as you advance in years. The key is in making small changes in your daily routines, especially when you’re at work. Invest in your eyes by taking the appropriate measures for eye care.
