7 Ways to protect your eyes
7 Ways to protect your eyes
May is Healthy Vision Month, and with warmer weather right
around the corner, now is the perfect time to start taking extra care of your
eye health. As you spend more time outdoors and work on projects around the
house, it’s vital to protect your eyes.
Here are seven simple ways to keep your eyes healthy this summer and beyond.
1. Wear Sunglasses
Most people remember to wear sunscreen before they head
outdoors, but they often forget the importance of protecting their eyes from
the sun.
UV exposure can contribute to:
·
Corneal damage
·
Decreased vision
If you’re spending time outdoors, be sure to wear sunglasses that
block 99-100% of UVA and UVB radiation. This one simple step could
save your eyes from chronic issues in the future.
2. Wear Protective Eyewear
If you’re playing sports or working on projects around the home,
be sure to wear appropriate protective eyewear.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to wear protective eyewear
when doing:
·
Home improvement
projects. Eyewear can protect your eyes from injury and debris, such
as sawdust or wood chips.
·
Yard work. If you’re trimming bushes, pruning trees, weed whacking or even
mowing the lawn, make sure that you’re wearing protective eyewear. A stray
branch or stone can cause serious eye injury.
·
Sports, such as lacrosse, archery, shooting/hunting, motorcycling,
tennis and other sports that involve projectiles.
There are many modern and stylish options for protective
eyewear, even prescription versions, so don’t skip this critical step.
3. Eat Healthy and Maintain a Healthy Weight
Eating right and maintaining a healthy weight can help you
naturally protect your eyes. Like any other part of your body, your eyes need the
right nutrients for optimal function and health.
Make sure that your diet includes plenty of foods rich in
eye-protecting nutrients, like:
·
Vitamin A
·
Vitamin E
·
Vitamin C
·
Omega-3 fatty acids
·
Zeaxanthin
·
Zinc
·
Lutein
Zeaxanthin and lutein are especially important for protecting
your eyes from sun damage and blue light.
Eating healthy is only one piece of the puzzle. It’s also
important to ensure that you’re maintaining a healthy weight. Research shows
that obesity can increase the risk of serious eye diseases, including wet macular
degeneration, diabetic
retinopathy and glaucoma.
4. Quit Smoking
If you’re a smoker, there’s no better time than now to quit.
Studies show that smoking can increase the risk of:
·
Diabetic
retinopathy
·
Cataracts
·
Glaucoma
·
Age-related macular
degeneration
Eventually, smoking can lead to vision loss. Take steps to quit
smoking. And if you’re not a smoker, kudos!, make sure that you never start.
5. Get Regular Eye Exams
Scheduling regular eye exams is one of the best ways to protect
your eye health. Experts recommend getting comprehensive dilated eye exams every
1-2 years for people who:
·
Are over 60 years
of age
·
Have a family
history of glaucoma
·
Are
African-American and over 40 years of age
·
Have high blood
pressure or diabetes
If you wear contacts or eyeglasses,
make sure you schedule annual exams to ensure your prescription is up to date
6. Exercise
Couch potatoes, take note. A Swedish study, published in the journal Ophthalmology, examined a possible link
between specific types of physical activity, including walking, and a reduced risk of age-related
cataracts in 52,660 participants between the ages of 45 and 83. Hoofing it more than 60
minutes a day — versus hardly ever — was associated with a decreased risk of
cloudy lenses. Conversely, high inactivity levels may be associated with an
increased risk. Another eye-opener: According to research from the University of California Los
Angeles, brisk walking may also lower your risk of getting glaucoma, with the
most active among us having a 73 percent lower risk than the least active.
The benefits may be two-fold. First, exercise is believed to
decrease your risk of Developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease
and high blood pressure, all of which can contribute to
cataracts. Cardio may also lower intraocular pressure (the pressure in your eyes), increasing blood flow to the retina and optic nerve. To
achieve vision-boosting effects, you don’t have to break much of a Sweat, IOP can be lowered with a
brisk, 20-
Minute walk a minimum of four
times a week.
7. Get the right amount of sleep
Yes, bloodshot eyes and puffy lids can be the unattractive consequences of a lack of shut-eye, but not
getting enough rest can play havoc with our eye health, too. Sleep is the time when fluids circulate and
hydrate your eyes, refreshing them for the next day. Get less than five hours
of slumber a night and you may experience side effects ranging
from light sensitivity and
blurred vision to dry eye and involuntary twitches (known as myokymia) that
occur when the muscles around the eyes are not getting enough rest.
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