Taking care of your eyes may help your overall health as well. Diabetes, poor hearing, heart issues, high blood pressure, lower back pain, and stroke are all more common in those with visual impairments, as well as an increased risk of falls, injury, and depression.
These are our 11 tips to help you take care of your eyesight!
1. Keep Screen Time to a Minimum
It is possible that staring at a computer, tablet, television, or smartphone screen will make your sight weary and create eyestrain. Blue light from displays has the potential to harm your eyes. When tracking screen time, use the 20-20-20 guideline.
This implies that every 20 minutes you stare at your device screen, you should take a 20-second break and gaze at anything at least 20 feet away. When you’re at the computer, use excellent ergonomics. Make sure the screen is at or slightly below eye level.
Place yourself so that you are about 25 inches away from the screen. When you’re working on the computer, make sure you have enough light. Glare may be reduced by using screen filters.
2. Consider Wearing Sunglasses
You probably already know that the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays may burn your skin, but did you realize that they can also damage your eyes?
Corneal burns, cataracts, and macular degeneration are just a few of the eye health issues that may occur as a consequence of too much UV exposure. You may even get skin cancer on your eyelids. When you’re outdoors, especially on overcast days, always wear sunglasses that filter 99 percent to 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays.
Effective sunglasses do not have to be costly. Check the label to discover how much protection against UV exposure they provide. Remember that some materials, such as concrete, sand, snow, and water, reflect UV radiation. Wide-brimmed hats and umbrellas may help protect your eyes from dangerous UV radiation.
3. Keep your eyes peeled at work and home.
At home and work, eye injuries are frequent. Approximately 2,000 individuals damage their eyes at work every day in the United States, necessitating medical attention. Experts believe that if individuals used proper eye protection, more than 90% of eye injuries might be avoided.
When working on tasks at work or at home that may cause debris to fly into your eyes, use safety glasses. When participating in activities that put your eyes in danger, such as lacrosse, baseball, softball, basketball, and racket sports, use protective glasses or goggles. Because polycarbonate lenses are more impact-resistant than other materials, they provide the best protection.
4. Nourish Your Eyes
Foods that protect blood vessels in your heart are equally beneficial to blood vessels in your eyes. Grain, dark leafy greens, and citrus fruits are all good sources of whole foods. Zinc, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin are particularly beneficial to your vision. They may help you avoid or reduce the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Oysters, chicken, and lean meat are all high in zinc. Beans, peanuts, and peas are all vegetarian sources of zinc. Brightly colored yellow and orange fruits and vegetables contain beta-carotene. Your body produces vitamin A, which is good for your vision.
Leafy greens including kale, spinach, and collard greens contain lutein and zeaxanthin. Corn, green peas, broccoli, romaine lettuce, and eggs have lower levels of these nutrients. Consult your eye doctor to see whether taking a daily vitamin and mineral supplement designed to protect your eyes might be beneficial.
5. Pay attention to your eyes.
If you have vision issues, don’t worry. If you have read, itchy eyes, antihistamines or calming eyedrops may help. To relieve discomfort, place cold compresses over your eyes. Rinse your eyes with clean water or a saline solution designed for the eyes to remove any dust or debris.
If you experience potentially severe symptoms such as eye discomfort, edema, discharges, or extraordinary sensitivity to light, see your ophthalmologist immediately soon. Consult your eye doctor immediately away if you have vision difficulties such as flashes of light, black floating patches, partial vision loss, blindness, or other vision issues.
6. Contact Lenses Should Be Cared For Properly
Take excellent care of your contact lenses to protect your vision. Before inserting or removing contact lenses, properly wash your hands. Only use the lens cleaning and drops that your ophthalmologist or optometrist recommends. After each usage, wash and dry your case.
Replace the case every 2 to 3 months at the absolute least. Before you go swimming, take off your contact lenses. Remove your contact lenses before going to bed. Do not keep your contact lenses on for longer than is necessary. Follow your ophthalmologist’s or optometrist’s suggested lens replacement schedule.
7. Other Health Concerns to Be Aware Of
Vision may be affected by health problems that aren’t usually connected with the eyes. Changes in blood arteries caused by diabetes and high blood pressure may reduce blood flow to the eyes. As a result, your eyesight may worsen.
Diabetic retinopathy is a frequent cause of visual loss in people with diabetes. Lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Graves’ disease are among autoimmune disorders that may damage the eyes. Aneurysms, cancer, lung illness, and thyroid disease are among diseases that may damage the eyes.
Ensure that your eye doctor is aware of your current and previous medical history, as well as any family history of eye illnesses or other severe problems. Schedule frequent eye examinations so that any changes in your vision may be detected and addressed as soon as feasible.
8. Side Effects of Medication Should Be Monitored
Beta-blockers, diuretics, antiarrhythmics, statins, antipsychotics, antidepressants, steroids, pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, and a wide range of other medicines may all have an impact on your eyesight. If your doctor recommends medicine for you, pay attention to how you feel. Any potential adverse effects should be noted and reported to your doctor as soon as possible.
Medication-induced visual distortion and ocular discomfort may vary from minor to severe. Dry eyes, watery eyes, sensitivity to light, hazy vision, double vision, eye puffiness, and drooping eyelids are all possible side effects of this drug.
9. Eye Makeup Should Be Avoided
Bacteria may be found in liquid and creamy eye makeup. Every three months, toss away your eye makeup and mascara. If you get an eye infection, toss away all of your eye makeup and schedule an appointment with your eye doctor as soon as possible. Avoid using shop samples and don’t share your cosmetics with others.
If you have allergies, look for hypoallergenic goods and use caution while trying new ones. To simply monitor for possible allergic responses, try one new product at a time. Before wearing makeup, make sure your skin is clean and dry. Before going to sleep, remove your makeup and cleanse your face.
10. Make regular eye exams a priority.
See your eye doctor for an eye check regularly if you desire excellent vision and healthy eyes. Even if you don’t use glasses, you should get your eyes and eyesight tested regularly. Between the ages of 18 and 60, most individuals need an eye checkup at least every other year.
Annual eye exams are recommended for those over 60, contact lens wearers, and individuals with medical problems that may damage the eyes, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family or personal history of eye illness. Farsightedness, presbyopia, astigmatism, glaucoma, and macular degeneration may all be detected during an eye exam.
Your retina, macula, and other components of your eyes may be examined by the doctor. During the examination, the doctor will check your vision.
11. Don’t Smoke
Smoking raises the risk of cataracts, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), dry eyes, uveitis, and diabetic retinopathy, among other eye disorders. Smoking damages blood vessels, which may lead to plaque formation and weakened arteries. This raises the risk of a heart attack and retinal damage. As a result, eyesight loss is a possibility.
When you stop smoking, your risk of developing eye illness drops to about the same level as that of nonsmokers. If you need assistance quitting, talk to your doctor.