A lot of people don’t consider their eye health when setting out on a new healthy living journey. By adopting a few healthy habits, you can prevent common eye health problems from occurring. Here are just a few tips to consider when protecting your visual health:
Get regular eye exams
This seems like a simple solution, but often one that gets pushed aside, similar to your dentist appointments. In addition to maybe a set of new frames, eye exams can help to detect more serious issues such as cataracts or glaucoma early. By spotting such problems early, it’s often easier to treat them, whether it’s a simple case of wearing glasses or getting cataracts surgery.
Wear your glasses
Walking out the door without my glasses for the day is something that seems to be occurring more often these days. If you’ve had an eye test and it’s been recommended that you wear glasses, like me, then making the commitment to wear them out the door is key to seeing more clearly.
If cost is prohibiting you from upgrading your lens, you may find that you can save money on glasses by shopping online. Contact lenses or laser eye surgery could be other alternatives if you don’t like the idea of wearing glasses but always consult with your optometrist on the right solution to your eye care.
Wear shades in the sun
Wearing sunglasses in the sun could also prevent vision loss. Sun exposure can result in a higher risk of contracting eye diseases such as cataracts. If you’re having to squint because it’s too bright outdoors, it could be a sign that you should be wearing shades.
When shopping for new shades consider a few details:
- choose a lens that blocks 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays
- wraparound lenses can help protect your eyes on your profile
- and polarized lenses will reduce glare while you drive
Keep up a healthy diet
Your diet can also have an impact on your eye health. An unhealthy diet consisting of fatty foods and lots of sugar could increase your chances of diabetes – which can lead to vision loss if untreated. The risk of macular degeneration is also increased by eating lots of fatty foods. Meanwhile, vitamin-rich fruit and vegetables can be good for your eyes (while carrots may not necessarily make you see in the dark, they are a good source of vitamin A, which is essential for eye health).
Stop smoking
Among many other negative side effects of smoking, studies have shown that smokers are more at risk at developing macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, glaucoma and dry eye syndrome than non-smokers. All in all, if you want to preserve your eye health, it could be important to kick that smoking habit sooner versus later.
Watch your alcohol consumption
Ok, let’s not get too crazy with this one… I mean we are still going to brunch on Sunday, right?
Unfortunately, heavy drinking also isn’t good for your eyesight. You could be more at risk of macular degeneration. Heavy drinking can also cause blood vessels in the eyes to enlarge – this can cause bloodshot eyes and vision loss. By reducing your intake of alcohol, you could help to prevent these health issues.
Source: WebMD
