How to maintain eye health

You most likely make regular health appointments, such as doctor and dental visits for yourself and your family. Remember to look after your family’s eyes.

It’s simple to incorporate basic eye care into your annual health practice. In this article we’ll give you some of the most important things you should do to keep your eyes healthy and avoid future eye problems.

The best foods for eye health

There are many important vitamins, minerals, antioxidants found in foods that strengthen the eyesight.

New research suggests that diets high in foods containing nutrition for eyesight is important in maintaining or improving your vision health. The following are examples of some nutrients that contain antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that provide the body with the sustenance it needs to support healthy eye function:

• Carrots are packed with beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. These nutrients protect one’s eye health from sun damage and UVB radiation.
• Citrus juices, oranges, lemons for example contain Vitamin C which protects the eyes against infections and disease. They also provide antioxidants which also helps improve vision.
• The nutritional value of green leafy vegetables like cabbage, spinach, kale contain lots of important vitamins including antioxidant vitamins protecting us from common conditions like cataracts.
• All forms of oily fish, including salmon, tuna, & sardines contain omega-3 fatty acids are full of eye-healthy DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). These reduce age related changes in the lens by 50%.
• Eggs, grapes and dark berries are great sources of zinc, iron and other eye-healthy minerals.

Protect against Computer Vision Syndrome

Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is when symptoms include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and dry eyes. CVS damage the health of your eyes.

Take these precautions:

• Reduce glare by using lower wattage lightbulbs overhead and closing curtains or drapes.
• Make sure your monitor is 4-5 inches below your eyes and 20-28 inches away from your eyes.
• Use an anti-glare matte screen for your computer or phone. When there’s glare on your devices it makes it more difficult to adjust to the changes that occur when you move closer or farther away from them. If you wear glasses, make sure that your lenses are set with an anti-reflective treatment.
• CVS usually wanes after you’ve stopped using the computer for some time, or reduced your usage on it.
• Setup your desktop PC/Mac screen no more than an arms length away from your workspace. The height at which you want your monitor depends on the size of the screen and personal preference. Placing it at eye level helps reduce neck strain.

Take frequent screen breaks to protect your eye health

Taking care of your body in general is great way to reduce many of the symptoms associated with computer vision syndrome, such as back and neck pain and eye fatigue. You should take a break every 20 minutes.

It’s also vital that you take care of your eyes so they stay healthy. Exercise them by stopping what you’re doing for at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes and look at an object at least 20 meters away, after which you’ll be able to see more clearly.

Take blink breaks. to refresh your vision. Many people blink less than usual when working at a computer. This can contribute to dry eyes or contacts lenses. Blinking produces tears that moisten and refresh your eyes as well as remove debris like dust and other minute particles. This results in irritation like redness and stinging. Try to make it a habit to blink more often when looking at a monitor. If you wear contact lenses, we encourage you to check with your optometrist about ways of reducing the risk of eye irritation and other complications like infections.

Wear sunglasses

UV rays increase your chances of cataracts. UV rays are blocked by 99-100% UVA and UVB protection.

Look for 99-100% UVA and UVB protection to prevent sun damage. Other important factors are:

• Lens that protects your eyes from the side.
• Polarized lenses reduce glare while driving.
• Contact lens with UV protection
• Avoid cheap sunglasses that don’t offer 100% protection.
• Remember that bigger is always better for sunglasses.

Get regular eye health screenings

Get a comprehensive eye exam at least once a year including:

• Review the overall health, vision health and family history, vision testing
• Dilated eye exam: retina and optic nerve to check
• Refraction test: determine sharpness of near and distance vision
• Visual field test, visual acuity test, tonometry, and dilation are used in the exam
• If you have diabetes, it’s important to get an exam every year or so because people with diabetes need them more frequently than other people do.
• Check with your doctor about when and how often you need these scans
• Schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist if necessary.

Annual eye screenings can help detect many common conditions that can threaten your eyesight. There are various tests used in comprehensive eye exams. These include retinal photography and visual field exams where the doctor checks how well you see when you look in different directions. A dilated or enhanced exam consists of detailed tests of the retina and optic nerve at high magnification. It also determines spatial vision acuity. To get these results, the doctor may use a phoropter which has lenses that change focus for near-sightedness, far-sightedness, astigmatism, and some kinds of lazy eyes.

Keep your eyes healthy by scheduling a doctor visit

If you are suffering from eye strain and are having trouble finding relief, it may be time to visit your eye doctor. Everything you can do before visiting your eye doctor can help things go smoothly at the appointment so take some time to

• List any symptoms you’ve been experiencing and how long you’ve had them
• List any other relevant medical information and medications and supplements that you’re taking
• Note the times of the day that you tend to experience issues most often.
• Jot down any relevant questions that come to mind during your research about what could be happening physiologically with your vision

It will help save your doctor some time by giving them examples of what they might ask so they’ll know what answers matter most!

Reach Out

Reach out to a local optometrist, optician, or ophthalmologist in our directory of optical professionals!