Do you not wear sunglasses when you are out in the sun? Do you spend countless hours on digital devices? And did you last have an eye test?
Relax! We didn’t mean to bombard you with a list of questions. But answering these few questions will help you know your eye health.
People tend to be careless when it comes to their eyes. We often forget that our everyday activities can take a toll on our peepers. If you wear prescription glasses, you should take extra care of your eyes.
But, you can always start afresh and take steps to prevent your vision. If you’ve made up your mind, you can break the bad habits that lead to poor eyesight. Even if you don’t have an unhealthy lifestyle, your vision can decline naturally after 40 and you will need reading glasses for a better near vision.
Here are a few tips to get your eye health back on track.
Have a healthy lifestyle
Staying fit is not only important for our physical appearance but it has equally positive effects on our eye health. Take some time out in the morning and do some workout. It will increase blood flow to your optic nerves and improve functions inside your peepers. If you smoke, just know that you are making yourself vulnerable to eye disorders such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
It all starts with what you eat
Leafy green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale, avocado and sprouts are filled with lutein and zeaxanthin. They are the types of carotenoids (plant pigments) that have anti-inflammatory properties. Proper intake of carotenoids helps in preventing the progression or development of age-related macular degeneration. If you are a fan of protein, fishes such as tuna, salmon and mackerel will prevent the risk of dry eyes.
Curb your screen time
It is not a secret that using digital devices for prolonged hours leads to visual fatigue and headaches. This happens due to the high-energy blue light wavelengths that these devices emit. Blue light reaches the back of your retina and hampers the functioning of optical cells.
This is why you must bring down your digital consumption.and use blue light blocking glasses for the time you spend digitally. These glasses will filter out the bad light and give maximum relief to your eyes from computer work.
Get UV protection
Just like we can’t leave our skin unprotected from the harmful UV rays, we should give similar consideration to our eyes. Exposure to the sunlight can damage our retinal cells over time. But you shouldn’t go for just any pair of sunglasses. Only the sunnies that block UV light by 100% will help your eyes. Read the label carefully and then buy your sunglasses.
Have an eye out for vision changes
As we age, our eyes become less efficient in bending light on the retina. This can lead to a refractive error in near vision, distant vision or both. We know that changes in eyesight are gradual and subtle. But, eye problems are presented with some common symptoms before they get worse. Here they are:
- Eye pain
- Redness in eyes
- Blurred vision
- Double vision
- Grey shadow in your vision field
- Persistent headaches accompanied by visual discomforts
Schedule an annual eye test
What could be a better way to detect an underlying vision problem than to get your eyes tested? An eye exam can catch vision-threatening problems early when they can still be corrected. Regular eye exams play a crucial role if you don’t want to experience permanent vision loss.
Use the latest prescription
If you are a glasses wearer and haven’t had an eye exam in the past two years, get one at an instant. When your prescription changes and you still use the old glasses, your vision gets even worse.
Visit your eyes doctor and get your updated prescription. If you want to save money on the new pair, you can either get new low cost glasses in the UK from online stores. Or you can reglaze your glasses and only get new lenses.
The takeaway
Protecting your eyesight is as easy as it gets. Just add some nutrients in your diet and quit unhealthy habits such as smoking. Bringing down your screen time will also make a huge difference in your eye health.