Maintaining Good Vision and Eye Health
Taking care of your eyes is an important part of your overall health. In fact, the eyes serve as a window into your overall health, providing valuable insight and revealing potential health concerns. Annual eye exams are critical for monitoring your eye health regularly and for early detection of eye disease. Many leading eye diseases that result in complete vision loss have no signs or symptoms.
In addition to annual eye examinations, maintain the health of your eyes by:
- Knowing your family health and eye history – Some eye diseases are hereditary. Talk with your eye doctor about your risks.
- Eating a balanced diet – Studies show that a diet rich with vegetables, specifically leafy green vegetables like collard greens, spinach, and kale help maintain levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, two important nutrients that help reduce the risk of eye disease including age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
- Maintaining a healthy weight – Being overweight increases your risk of diabetes which can lead to diabetic retinopathy.
- Quit smoking – Studies show an increased risk of eye disease in smokers as well as a higher risk of optic nerve damage.
- Protecting your eyes from UV rays – More than a fashion accessory, sunglasses block out harmful UV rays that can damage the retina.
- Wearing protective eyewear – Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from foreign material when participating in sports or doing work around the house.
- Washing your hands – Always wash your hands before touching your eyes, especially if you are putting in or taking out contact lenses. This will help prevent infectious bacteria from irritating your eyes.
- Resting your eyes – We spend more time looking at computer screens. As a result we sometimes forget to blink, which causes eye fatigue. Every 20 minutes, give your eyes a break by looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Learn more about eye conditions and eye diseases:
