So what preventative measures can you take to protect your eyesight?
What to Do to Protect Your Eyesight
There are five principal things you can do to maintain healthy eyes.
1. Eat the Right Foods
Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E. These foods include the following:
- Leafy, green vegetables such as spinach and kale
- Salmon, tuna, catfish and oysters
- Eggs
- Nuts, beans, oatmeal and other high-protein non-animal foods
- Foods high in vitamin C including hot peppers, bell peppers, mango, papaya and citrus fruits
2. Wear Sunglasses
The UV radiation from the sun will damage your retina over the course of your life. The condition is called macular degeneration (AMD) and is the leading cause of blindness in older people.
3. Learn to Type Without Looking at the Computer Screen
Looking at the computer screen for hours and hours a day strains, dries and damages your eyes. If you can learn to look out a window or at a pretty photo or just about anything else aside from your computer screen, you can lessen the damage done to your eyes.
4. Stop — or Don’t Start — Smoking
While smoking does terrible damage to your lungs, heart, liver, kidneys and skin, smoking is also extremely damaging to your eyes. Smoking is one of the leading causes associated with cataracts.
5. Wear Safety Glasses
Of all the preventative measures you can take to protect your eyesight, wearing safety glasses is the easiest. Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from all of the following:
- The sun — Safety glasses are available with tinted lenses.
- Dust — Modern safety glasses wrap around your face tightly and protect your eyes from debris.
- Shrapnel — When you use an electric or gas-powered saw, wear safety glasses to prevent wood, metal and plastic cuttings from puncturing your eye.
What Not to Do If You Want to Protect Your Eyesight
What you don’t do to your eyes is just as important as what you do for them. To extend the life of your eyes, avoid all of the following:
1. Eat Trans-fats (Vegetable Oil)
Your eyes are extremely vascular. Trans-fats damage both your blood and your blood vessels.
2. Overexpose Yourself to Artificial Light
Avoid overexposure to light that is high in UV. Blue, violet and purple lights are commonly associated with UVB light.
3. Allow Your Eyes to Dry Out
Dry eyes are easily damaged. Any debris on the front surface of dry eyes can permanently scratch your eyes. Keep your eyes hydrated with a solution or drops if your eyes are naturally dry.
4. Overexpose Your Eyes to Chlorine
Your eyes have a natural film that covers them. Chlorine washes that film away, which makes your eyes vulnerable to the infections associated with bacteria. Wear goggles when you swim in chlorinated water.
5. Fail to Get Enough Sleep
Your eyes are delicate, and lack of sleep exposes them to dryness, strain and blood vessel stress. Rest your eyes, literally.
Even if you take every precaution to protect your vision, your eyes will still age … and in time, your vision will likely change. It’s very important to have your eyes examined regularly to properly track these changes. That way, if an eye condition or disease develops, your doctor will have all the information they need to recommend the best course of treatment. Please contact our office today to schedule an appointment and take the best step to protecting your eyesight!