While it may not be as high profile as heart health, eye health is certainly important. Unfortunately, healthy eyes are something many people take for granted until a problem arises. What can you do to take good care of your eyes?
A Healthy Lifestyle is Key
Many eye conditions are simply the result of age-related degeneration, but the healthier you are overall, the better. To support eye health, cultivate healthy habits and avoid those that are not good for you.
- Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk for certain eye diseases, including macular degeneration and cataracts. It can also damage the optic nerve. Although the mechanism isn’t clear, this may be because of oxidative stress — more commonly known as free radical damage.
- Watch your weight and stay active. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces the likelihood of many conditions that can cause eye disease or poor eye health, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. And physical activity improves circulation, which helps keeps the eyes healthy.
- Get enough sleep. Both lack of sleep and poor quality sleep increase your levels of stress hormones, which affect virtually every system in your body. Stress can cause acute symptoms such as eyestrain, dry eyes, blurry vision, and even tunnel vision. It can also make existing vision problems worse.
Protecting Your Eyes from Common Hazards
Learn to safeguard your eyes throughout your life. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Wear sunglasses. Sunlight does more than make you squint — UV light from the sun can damage your eyes. For the most protection, choose sunglasses that protect from both UVA and UVB radiation; shades that block 99 to 100 percent of UV are ideal.
- Use protective goggles or glasses. While they may not make a fashion statement, safety glasses or goggles are a must with some activities like home repairs or running a string trimmer. Goggles keep foreign objects out of your eyes. They’re also important during certain sports, where eye trauma is a possibility.
- Take a break from screens. Spending too much time focused on your computer, tablet, or phone can lead to dry, irritated eyes and eye strain. Make sure your screen is at least 20 inches away from your eyes, that you blink often, and adjust the brightness of the screen or lighting of the room to minimize glare. Following the “20/20/20” rule will also help reduce the negative effects of too much screen time. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to stare at something 20 feet distant. This allows your eyes to relax.
- Wash your hands before you touch your eyes — especially if you wear contacts. No matter how clean your hands appear, they’re probably harboring some type of microorganism such as bacteria, and some germs can cause eye infections like conjunctivitis (commonly called “pink eye”). Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before you touch your eyes, especially if you’re going to insert or remove your contacts.
Healthy eyes are part of a healthy body, so care for them as you do the rest of you. Have an eye exam every year. Eat right and exercise. And pay attention; if you notice any changes in your vision, make an appointment with your eye doctor.
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