Sight Is Society’s Most Priced Sense

Practice eye health care habits and hygiene on a regular basis and remember, eye problems and related vision loss only gets worse with age.

• Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly. Routine eye exams, updated prescriptions, early signs, and detection of eye diseases and conditions are all sound eye care management to avoid complications down the line.
• Stay Hydrated: Just one of the best all-around advice, keeping body fluids high is beneficial for tear production or to keep dry eyes and irritation in check.
• Healthy, Balanced Diet. Think vegetables (deep yellow and green leafy vegetables such as spinach), fish (high in omega-3 fatty acids), and fruit (citrus is high in Vitamin C), all of them carrying positive vision outcomes.
• Maintain a Healthy Weight. Obesity spikes the risk of diabetes, which is a deciding factor in diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.
• Get Regular Exercise. Exercise helps keep diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol at bay.
• Sleep. Your eyes need a break and rest, same as the rest of your body, for optimal eye vitality.
• Quit Smoking. Smoking increases the risk of developing macular degeneration, cataracts, and other conditions, such as damage to the optic nerve.
• Wear Sunglasses. Cataracts and macular degeneration can best be controlled by limiting your sun exposure with sunglasses that block out 99-100% of UVA and UVB rays. This goes for prescription eyeglasses and contact lens wearers too.
• Wear Protective Eye Wear. Prevent injuries with adequate eye protection while practicing sports, doing home repairs, or at the job.
• Family Medical History. Know it well. Some eye diseases are inherited.
• Other Risk Factors. Age equates to a higher risk of eye diseases and conditions. Change the behaviors that need changing.
• Contact Alert. Wash your hands thoroughly before you begin any contact handling, extraction or insertion process. Follow instructions for proper contact maintenance and cleanliness and replace as often as needed.
• Wash Your Hands. A must-do tip, not only when handling contacts. Dirty hands can cause conjunctivitis. So, remember, wash hands regularly with mild unscented soap and dry with a lint-free towel.
• Don’t Rub Your Eyes. You may dislodge a contact, and even damage your cornea. Or get an infection.
• Careful with Eye Makeup. Be aware of eye shadow, mascara, and eyeliner allergic reactions. Remove makeup before sleep to avoid bacterial build-up and clean your eye makeup brushes.
• 20-20-20 Rule is Golden. Reduce eyestrain when doing computer work by looking away from the screen 20 feet in front for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
• Screen Distance & Angle. Monitors need to be, at least, at arm’s length and around 20 degrees below eye level. Also, diffuse light around you to reduce the stress from the blue computer light.

Sources:

https://medlineplus.gov/eyecare.html

https://www.lariaeyecare.com/2019/10/03/12-tips-for-optimal-eye-health-2019/