How You Can Maintain Good Eye Health
You shouldn’t take your eyes for granted.
We have put together some simple tips to protect your sight:
1. Eat for Good Vision
Protecting your eyes starts with what you eat. Omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E may help ward off age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration and cataracts, studies show.
Eating these foods regularly can help lead to good eye health:
- Green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collards
- Salmon, tuna and other oily fish.
- Eggs, nuts, beans and other non-meat protein sources.
- Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices
Eating a well-balanced diet also helps you maintain a healthy weight, which makes you less likely to develop obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults.
2. Stop Smoking
Smoking makes you more likely to develop cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration
3. Wear Sunglasses
Wearing the right kind of sunglasses will help protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Prolonged UV exposure makes you more likely to get cataracts and/or macular degeneration. Make sure to choose sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound lenses help protect your eyes from the side. and Polarized lenses reduce glare when driving.
4. Use Safety Eyewear
If you work with hazardous or airborne materials, make sure to wear safety glasses or protective goggles to protect your eyes.
Sports such as ice hockey, racquetball, and baseball can also lead to eye injury. Make sure to wear eye protection (such as helmets with protective face masks or sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses) to shield your eyes.
5. Look Away From the Computer Screen
Most of us spend a lot of time on the computer. Staring too long at a computer can cause:
- Eyestrain
- Blurry vision
- Trouble focusing at a distance
- Dry eyes
- Headaches
- Neck, back, and shoulder pain
You should take the following steps to protect your eyes when using the computer:
- Make sure your glasses or contact lens prescription is up-to-date and adequate for computer use.
- Some people may need computer glasses to help with contrast, glare, and eye strain when using a computer.
- Position your computer so that your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. This allows you to look slightly down at the screen.
- Choose a comfortable, supportive chair. Position it so that your feet are flat on the floor.
- If your eyes are dry, blink more.
- Every 20 minutes, rest your eyes by looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get up and get away from the computer for 15 minutes, every 2 hours.
6. Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly
Everyone, even young children, should get their eyes examined regularly. This helps you protect your sight and see your best.
Eye exams can also find some eye diseases, such as glaucoma, that have no symptoms. It’s important to find these diseases early on, when they’re easier to treat.
A comprehensive eye exam might include:
- Talking about your personal and family medical history
- Taking vision tests to see if you have nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism (a curved cornea that blurs vision), or presbyopia (age-related vision changes)
- Tests to see how well your eyes work together
- Eye pressure and optic nerve tests to check if you have glaucoma
- External and microscopic examination of your eyes before and after dilation
It is important to maintain good eye health. Make sure you are doing what you can to protect your eyes and your vision.
