Our eyes go to work for us, first thing in the morning when we wake up, and they don’t stop working until we go to bed! Vision is such an important aspect of our everyday world. Most of us can’t even truly imagine what our lives would be like if we couldn’t see. That’s why protecting and maintaining healthy eyes and vision is very important. It is one of the most important things that you can do to maintain your quality of life. Here are some tips on how you can protect your eyesight.
Family Health History Can Play A Role In Eyesight
When having an eye exam, your family health history will often be a starting point of conversation between you and your optometrist. Because a lot of eye problems are linked to genetics, it is important to know the health history of your relatives. Being aware of any eye health or vision problems in past family members can help your optometrist assess your risk factor for different eye problems and diseases. As well, your optometrist may have specific recommendations for your vision care based on the knowledge of this history.
Pay Attention To Changes In Your Eyesight
By being aware and looking for warning signs in your vision, you will also be proactive in helping to prevent vision problems. If you have any sudden changes in your vision you should be seen as soon as possible. Signs of problems are double vision, loss of vision, flashes of lights, floaters, and eye pain.
Have A Regular Medical Exams
Have regular medical exams to make sure that there are no underlying issues or concerns with your health. There are many common health conditions and diseases that can also affect the health of the eyes. This includes diabetes and high blood pressure. Some diseases can even lead to vision loss and in extreme conditions, blindness.
Along with discussing your health history with your eye doctor, informing them of any medications that you are taking is also very important. Many medications can have ocular side effects.
Maintain Good Overall Body Health
Maintaining good overall body health, also helps to maintain eye health. Make sure that you exercise regularly and also eat a proper diet. By eating healthy, you can ensure that you are getting important nutrition, vitamins, antioxidants and omega fatty acids that also play an important role in eye health.
If you are a smoker, stop smoking. Macular degeneration, cataracts, and other eye problems have been linked to smoking.
Protect Your Eyes Against Harmful Light
Harmful light, such as UV light and Blue light can damage delicate eye tissues. Therefore, it is important to protect your eyes against these harmful types of light. Wearing a good pair of sunglasses when being exposed to the UV of the sun is one of the ways to be protected. By blocking UV rays from reaching your eyes, you will help reduce the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and other eye problems.
Another type of harmful light is blue-violet light. This light comes from most digital devices, such as phone screens and computer screens. You can protect your eyes from this type of light by getting a blue light filter put onto your clear pair of eyeglasses.
Have Your Eyesight And Eye Health Checked Regularly
An eye exam is not just a prescription check. During an eye exam, the health of your eyes is also examined and evaluated. There are many test which are performed during your exam that helps determine your vision and the health of your eyes. This is important because many eye diseases are silent. In other words, you won’t know that you have a problem until the disease is in it’s advanced stages.
Book an appointment to make sure your eyesight and eye health is the best it can be!
Article Written By: Karen McAulay