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Did you know that 50% of all eye problems and vision loss are preventable? Early detection and treatment are critical, as is leading a healthy lifestyle. So, what exactly does that mean? Here are some basic steps you may do every day to protect your eyes.
1. Eat Well for Better Eye Health
Good eye health begins with the food on your plate. Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E can help prevent age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration (which makes it difficult to see items directly in front of you) and cataracts.
To get enough of these nutrients, you can eat:
- Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, and collards
- Broccoli and Brussels sprouts
- Salmon, tuna, sardines, and other oily fish
- Colorful veggies such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and red peppers
- Eggs, nuts, beans, and other nonmeat protein sources
- Oranges, nectarines, grapefruit, kiwi and other citrus fruits
- Zinc-rich foods such as chickpeas, oysters, and yogurt
2. Exercise to Keep Your Eyes Healthy
Unless your doctor suggests differently, aim to exercise 150 minutes each week. You don’t have to do everything at once. It may be better for your schedule to move 30 minutes at a time, five days a week. Any activity that keeps your body moving is beneficial, whether it’s a fitness class, a brisk walk with a friend, or raking leaves in your yard.
How does exercise benefit your eyes?
Working out stimulates the flow of blood and nutrients throughout the body, including the eyes. According to studies, long-term exercise can improve tissue recovery. It can help lessen oxidative stress, which occurs when your body has more toxins than antioxidants to counteract them.
Physical activity can also help you maintain a healthy weight. That’s also beneficial for your eyes. According to research, carrying additional pounds might cause inflammation throughout your body. This can lead to visual problems including cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, which damage the optic nerve and hinder your eyes from correctly transferring information to your brain.
If you find it hard to get moving 150 minutes each week, do what you can. Any amount of physical activity is better than nothing.
3. Quit Smoking to Protect Your Vision
Tobacco use increases your risk for cataracts, optic nerve damage, macular degeneration, and many other health issues. If you’ve tried to kick the habit before only to start again, you already know that quitting tobacco can be tricky.
That’s because nicotine, the main chemical in tobacco, changes how your brain works. It fools you into thinking that you need more nicotine to feel okay. Once you quit using tobacco, it can take a few weeks before this craving goes away. During that time, you could have symptoms such as feeling irritated, finding it hard to focus, and trouble sleeping.
4. Wear Sunglasses to Safeguard Eye Health
The appropriate sunglasses can help shield your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Too much in your eyes can increase your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Even on cloudy days, UV rays can penetrate the haze, putting your eyes at risk.
When looking for sunglasses, get a pair that can do at least one of the following:
- Block 100% of UV rays
- Block both UV-A and UV-B rays
- Offer UV400 protection
If you wear contact lenses, some types offer built-in UV protection. But it’s still a good idea to wear sunglasses for an extra layer.
5. Protect Your Eyes from Blue Light
Staring at a computer or phone screen for too long can cause:
- Eye strain
- Blurry vision
- Trouble focusing at a distance
- Dry eyes
- Headaches
- Neck, back, and shoulder pain
You might have heard that this is because of blue light emitted by the screens on tablets, TVs, phones, computers, and other devices. Human eyes aren’t great at blocking it out. Over time, blue light may start to damage cells inside your eyes and raise your risk for conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
Another issue with excessive screen time is that it prevents you from blinking as often as you should. This can cause eye strain and dry eye disease (DED). If your eyes are dry, they stop producing enough tears to keep the surface of your eyes wet. As a result, your eyes may sting, your vision may be blurred, and wearing contact lenses may be uncomfortable.
- Make sure your glasses or contacts prescription is up to date and good for looking at a computer screen.
- If your eye strain won’t go away, talk to your doctor about computer glasses.
- Move the screen so your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. That lets you look slightly down at the screen.
- Try to avoid glare from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed.
- Choose a comfortable, supportive chair. Position it so that your feet are flat on the floor.
- If your eyes are dry, blink more or try using artificial tears.
- Rest your eyes every 20 minutes. Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get up at least every two hours and take a 15-minute break.
6. Practice Good Eye Hygiene
To protect your eye health every day, you can:
Wash your hands. We all touch our faces more than we realize. One study put the number at 23 times an hour. Cleaning your hands often will help reduce the number of germs that make contact with your eyes.
Try not to share towels. Using your own towel and washcloth will help prevent how much dirt and bacteria find their way to your eyes. Also, avoid sharing eye masks, pillowcases, sheets, and eye makeup.
Remove makeup before bed. Sleeping with eye makeup on can irritate your eyelids and lashes. Use makeup remover to take off the excess. And remember to throw away old or expired makeup. While it may still look okay, it could harbor lots of germs that will get into your eyes.
Take care of your contacts. For instance, wash your hands before touching your contacts. Use fresh contact lens solution every day, and change your storage case every three months. Keep track of when you need to replace your contacts. Wearing old ones for too long could scratch or infect the surface of your eyes.
7. Stay on Top of Your Eye Health
Everyone, including young children, requires a regular eye examination. They can ensure you’re seeing as well as possible and detect disorders like glaucoma, which have no visible signs. It’s critical to identify eye problems early on, when they’re easier to cure.
Depending on your eye health requirements, you can see one of two kinds of doctors:
- Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialize in eye care. They can provide general eye care, treat eye diseases, and perform eye surgery.
- Optometrists have had four years of specialized training after college. They provide general eye care and can diagnose and treat most eye diseases. They don’t do eye surgery.
Take care of your eyes before you have a vision problem. Simple things like eating nutritious meals, exercising regularly, and getting eye checkups can all help safeguard your vision. Many eye problems have a better prognosis when detected and treated early.
