How To Improve Your Eye Health
The French say, “Les yeux sont le miroir de l’dme.“
“The eyes are the window to the soul.”
But windows go both ways. Our eyes are also our window to the world.
Consider this: 80%🔬 of all that we perceive is with vision.
According to Professor Mriganka Sur🔬 at MIT, “half of the human brain is devoted directly or indirectly” to our eyesight.
So it’s easy to see: Your eyes are precious. And it’s important that you treat them right.
Below are 8 easy eye care tips recommended by MedlinePlus🔬 to keep your eyes as healthy as possible.
👩⚕️ Schedule an eye exam with your doctor
Your number one best source of information about eye health is always going to be your eye doctor. Keeping to a regular schedule of eye doctor visits will help to catch any problems before they get serious.
An eye care professional can spot health concerns and monitor your eyesight with a routine eye exam. They can also guide you through any eye conditions you might have inherited.
🥗 Eat a balanced diet of fresh fruit and vegetables
What you put on your plate plays a big role in the health of your eyes.
Your eyes need a daily supply of vitamins and nutrients to help you see your best. Antioxidants like Vitamins C & E help prevent damage to the eye from free radicals.
Eating a balanced diet will also help you maintain a healthy body weight. That’s a great way to avoid diabetes – one of the highest risk factors for your eye health.
👉 Click here to read about the best 3 foods for optimal eye health. 👈
🧘 Cut down on stress
Elevated stress levels causes pressure to build on the eyes. That can cause headaches and blurry vision.
In the long-term, constant stress can cause eye strain and vision impairment.
Higher stress levels can also raise your blood pressure🔬. That can damage the blood vessels in your eyes and lead to vision loss, too.
So take a few deep breathes and relax. Look for the silver lining. Your eyes will thank you for staying calm.
🚭 Avoid smoking
We all know the risks that smoking poses for our lungs, but its effect on our eyes is less talked about.
According to MedlinePlus, “smoking increases the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.” In fact, smokers are 3-4 times more likely to develop AMD than nonsmokers. It can also permanently damage the optical nerve.
If you’re a smoker, ask your doctor about safe ways to quit. And if you don’t smoke already, definitely don’t start.
😌 Give your eyes a break from looking at computer/phone/TV screens
When we spend a lot of time looking at computer screens, we tend to blink less frequently. Than makes our eyes to dry out and get fatigued.
To protect your eyes from all that strain, take a break from your computer and phone screens throughout the day.
If your work keeps you glued to the screen for hours on end, try the 20-20-20 rule. That’s where you look at a spot 20 feet away for 20 seconds after every 20 minutes in front of a screen. It’s like a healthy reset for your eyes.
💪 Exercise regularly
You can lower your risk of eye health problems just by keeping active.
When combined with a healthy diet, regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy body weight. It also helps you avoid diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels.
The Mayo Clinic recommends🔬 a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. That’s about 20 minutes per day. But more exercise will get you even better health results.
😎 Wear sunglasses to avoid sun damage
The harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are well known, but most of our focus is usually on the risk of wrinkles and skin cancer. Those are bad enough, but did you know that sunlight can also harm your eye health?
Sun exposure can lead to cataracts and AMD. That’s a deterioration of eyesight that gets worse with age.
But not all sunglasses are made equally. You should prevent eye damage from the sun by choosing sunglasses that block out 99-100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation. Talk to your optician when you buy your next pair of sunglasses to make your best purchase.
👀 Clean your contact lenses properly
Contact lenses offer us better, sharper, less obtrusive vision correction than glasses, but they need to be handled with care.
In fact, most people don’t follow all the contact lens health guidelines given to them by their eye doctors. That puts them at risk of discomfort and infection.
Always wash your hands before handling your lenses and follow the hygiene instructions given to you by your eye care professional. Never wear your contacts beyond their replacement schedule and store them in fresh solution every night.
