The health of our eyes and vision is something that many of us are guilty of taking for granted. For those who have never had to cope with eye or vision problems, it is all too easy to forget how valuable this sense is until it is too late. Taking your eye health for granted could be risky: a lack of eye care increases the chances of problems going unnoticed and untreated.
There are many people who do not have perfect vision and therefore wear glasses or contacts, or opt for treatments such as Optimax laser eye surgery. By making sure you maintain your eye health, you may be able to enjoy better vision for longer. There are many ways in which you can maintain good health when it comes to your eyes and vision, and many of these are simple yet effective methods.
Valuable tips to aid eye and vision health
Healthy eyes and vision are important to everyone, particularly as you start to get older. This is when your eye health, along with other areas of your health, can start to deteriorate. However, with some care and consideration on your part, you can continue to enjoy good eyes and vision for many years to come.
Some valuable tips to help aid your eye and vision health include the following:
- Eat the right foods: The things you eat can have an impact on many areas of your health, such as your weight, blood pressure, health of your heart, and cholesterol levels. In addition, your diet can have an impact on the health of your eyes, with certain foods and nutrients linked to good eye health. Foods that are rich in omega three fatty acids along with those rich in vitamins C and E can aid eye health. Green leafy vegetables, oily fish, eggs, nuts and citrus fruits are amongst the foods that are recommended.
- Give up smoking: Smoking can be the root cause of many health problems, some of which are serious and even potentially fatal. When it comes to your eyes, smoking can increase the chances of cataracts as well as optical nerve damage. By giving up smoking, you can decrease the chances of eye problems, which will enable you to maintain good eye health and vision. It will also reduce the risk of other diseases and save you a huge amount of money on eye care in the long run.
- Protect your eyes from UV rays: When you go out in the sunshine for long periods of time, it is important to wear sunscreen in order to protect your skin from burning and damage. However, it is not only your skin that is at risk of damage from the sun; the UV rays can also damage your eyes if you do not take steps to protect them. You should therefore invest in a good pair of sunglasses with UV protection so that you can enjoy the sun safely without risking damage to your eyes and vision.
- Have regular eye tests: It is important that, if your vision does start to slide, you get appropriate eyewear or treatment to address the problem. With this in mind, it is important to attend regular eye tests, particularly if you spend a lot of time working on or using computers or in front of the TV. The tests that are carried out can help to determine the health of your vision, enabling appropriate action to be taken if you do have any eye health issues. If any problems are picked up, make sure you act swiftly with regards to getting treatment.
- Get plenty of sleep: Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to our general health and well-being. It also aids eye health, ensuring that you do not put too much strain on the eyes and helping you avoid a range of conditions. Some studies have linked lack of sleep with an increased risk of glaucoma, so getting plenty of sleep is a proven part of maintaining good eye health.
- Avoid eye irritation from heating: The heating systems that we use in offices and even in our homes can cause dryness and irritation when it comes to the skin and eyes. In order to try and combat this, invest in a good humidifier that moistens the air, helping to prevent irritation and dryness of the eyes.
These are just a few of the ways in which you can help to avoid a range of eye-related problems and promote good eye health.
More health tips from Sarah Henderson.
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