6 Eye Health Tips to Help Protect Your Sight
Maintaining good eye health can play a crucial role in protecting your vision and promoting overall health. However, many people often take their eyes for granted and do not take any steps to keep their eyes healthy. To protect your sight and enjoy a lifetime of healthy vision, follow these 6 tips for eye health listed below in this guide.
Eye Health Tips
#1: Good Diet
Eating a well - balanced diet is important to maintain good eyesight. Including nutrients such as zinc, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C and E in your diet helps avert age related vision problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration. In addition, eating a nutritious diet helps you maintain weight and reduces the risk of having diabetes 2, a disease related to obesity. Diabetes is one of the major causes that can lead to blindness in adults. To keep eyes healthy, eat these foods regularly-
Tuna, salmon and other oily fish
Citrus fruits or juices
Green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and collards
Beans, nuts, eggs and other sources of non- meat protein.
#2: Wear Sunglasses
Too much exposure to ultra- violet rays of the sun can harm your eyes and increases the risk of getting macular degeneration and cataracts. To protect your eyes from UV exposure, it is important that you wear the right kind of sunglasses. Always choose sunglasses that not only have polarized lenses to reduce glare while driving, but also have wraparound lenses that will help keep your eyes safe from the side. Opt for sunglasses that obstruct 99%to100% of both UVB and UVA rays. #3: Stop Smoking
Smoking can make you susceptible to development of cataract, macular degeneration and cause optic nerve damage. If you are smoking currently, keep trying to quit smoking until you succeed.
#4: Use Computer Caution
Sitting in front of the computer screen for extended periods of time can lead to symptoms such as
Blurry Vision
Dry eyes
Eyestrain
Headaches
Difficulty to focus at a distance
Back, neck and shoulder pain
Precautions to be taken to protect your eyes
Blink often especially if your eyes are dry
Rest your eyes by looking 20 feet away for about 20-25 seconds in every 20 minutes. Get up in every two hours and take a 15 - minute break.
Ensure that you wear up to date prescription glasses or contact lenses suitable for computer use
When placing your computer, ensure that the top of the monitor is at a level with your eyes. This will help you look at the screen more comfortably.
Wear glasses to reduce eye strain while using a computer.
Close curtains or drape and use lower watt light bulbs to reduce glare.
#5: Use Safety Wear
If you work with airborne or hazardous materials at home or at job, it is highly recommended that you wear protective glasses or safety glasses every time. Additionally, wearing eye protection (such as sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses or helmets with protective face masks) while playing sports (racquetball, ice hockey and lacrosse) will help shield your eyes and prevent eye injury.
#6: Visit your Ophthalmologist Regularly
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eye and vision care. They can treat eye disease, provide general eye care and can also perform eye surgery. On the other hand, Optometrists help treat most common eye disease and provide general eye care, but do not perform eye surgery.
To protect your eyesight, it is essential that everyone irrespective of their age get their eyes examined regularly. Since detecting diseases can make treatment easier, visiting an ophthalmologist or optometrist for an eye exam is essential. Undergoing an eye exam can help detect eye diseases such as glaucoma, a disease that has no symptoms.
A comprehensive eye exam may include:
Undergoing vision tests to check if you have farsightedness, nearsightedness, presbyopia (vision changes caused to age), or astigmatism (a curved corned that can lead to blurred vision).
Undertake optic nerve tests and eye pressure to check if you have glaucoma
Undergo tests to check how well your eyes work together
Details regarding your personal as well as your family medical history
Examination of your eyes (external and microscopic) prior and after dilation.
In addition, other tests may be recommended.
