Have you ever thought about ways to keep your eyes healthy? Are you looking for advice on how to keep your eyes in their best shape possible? This guide is here for you! Here are 10 tips for good eye health!
1. Have Regular Comprehensive Eye Exams
Going to the eye doctor and getting your eyes dilated is the only way to really know if your eyes are healthy. Sometimes we do not realize that we may need glasses or contacts.
Also, some eye diseases have no warning signs. This includes age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic eye disease. Getting eye exams is the only way to diagnose these diseases.
2. Know Your Family’s Eye Health History
It is important to talk to your family members about their eye health and history. It is important to know what conditions they have been diagnosed with.
Many eye conditions are hereditary. This will help your doctor determine if you are likely to get the same disease.
3. Eat Well
Having healthy eyes starts with what you eat. Eat foods with omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and lutein. Don’t forget about vitamins C and E either.
Eating well can help fight off age-related vision issues. Some of these issues include cataracts and macular degeneration. You should eat spinach, collards, kale, salmon or tuna, eggs, nuts, beans, oranges, oysters, and pork.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
This lowers your chance of being obese or getting type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Talk to your doctor if you have problems maintaining your weight.
5. Use Protective Eyewear
It is important to wear protective eyewear while playing sports. If you enjoy home improvement activities, you should wear protective eyewear as well.
Protective eyewear means using goggles, safety glasses, and eye guards. You also need to use what’s designed for the right activity.
A lot of protective eyewear is made out of polycarbonate. Eye care providers and some sporting goods stores sell protective eyewear.
6. Quit/Never Start Smoking
Smoking is bad for your entire body. Research has connected smoking to the development of many eye conditions.
You’re more likely to develop cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. If you already smoke, there’s no better time to quit than right now!
7. Wear Sunglasses
While sunglasses are a great accessory, their main job is to protect your eyes from the sun’s UV rays. When you go to buy sunglasses, you should look for ones that block 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UB-B radiation.
8. Rest Your Eyes
When we spend a lot of time on the computer or focusing on one activity, sometimes we forget to blink. This can lead to eye fatigue and dry eye.
You should use the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, you should look about 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This helps reduce eye strain.
9. Exercise
Exercise is so important. It helps improve blood circulation, which improves oxygen levels to your eyes. It also helps remove toxins.
10. Wash Your Hands
It is so important to wash your hands, especially if you wear contacts! You should always wash your hands before touching your eyes.
Any time you are putting in or removing your contacts, you should wash your hands. Certain germs and bacteria on your hands can give you eye infections like pink eye. Whatever you have on your fingers will transfer to your eyes.
Can’t remember when your last comprehensive eye exam was? It’s never too late to start good eye health habits! Schedule an exam at Stahl Eyecare Experts in Manhattan, NY today!
