Your eyes are windows to your soul. Besides letting other people know about your emotional state, your eyes are essential organs that work with your brain to help you discern the color, shape and size of objects. Your vision plays a vital role in capturing and interpreting data and is indeed one of the most significant senses.
As you age, your eyesight health is more likely to become at risk. Cataract, diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration diseases, among others, can cause blindness if you don’t take good care of your eyes.
In this article, we’ve gathered some tips that may help you improve and protect your eyesight.
1. Healthy Diets Means Healthy Eyes
Watch what you put on your plate. A balanced diet is not only beneficial for your weight but has also a positive impact on your eyes health. Eating foods that are high in antioxidants like green vegetables and fruits will protect your eyesight. You can include more carrots and sweet potatoes in your meals as they contain Vitamin A, which is useful in decreasing the risk of eye infections.
2. Stay Active
The more you exercise, the less likely you’ll damage your eyes. Someone who is overweight has a higher risk to develop diabetes which in consequences can lead to vision loss.
While healthy eating habits are essential in maintaining an ideal body mass index, exercising regularly reduces the risk of getting glaucoma (one leading cause of blindness) by 6%, according to a study done by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
3. Regular Check-Ups
Schedule regular eye check-ups to protect your eyesight! Even if there is no sign that your eyes’ health may be at risk, it is recommended that an ophthalmologist regularly examine them.
Having your eyes checked regularly, can help eye doctors determine whether you need to wear glasses for corrective measures or if you have any unidentified eye conditions. You can prevent vision loss while undergoing a comprehensive eye exam which will allow doctors to examine your eyesight thoroughly with a variety of tests.
4. Invest in Quality Sunglasses
A right pair of shades is more than just a trend. Investing in good-quality sunglasses will protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays that can result in macular degeneration and cataracts.
A cheap pair of sunglasses will not have the same preventive effects, and it is advisable that you pick one that will block 99% to 100% of UV rays.
5. 20-20-20 Rule to Rest Your Eyes
While working on computers, people tend to stare at their monitor for extended periods, hence causing fatigue. In that regards, you can use the 20-20-20 rule, which will reduce eyestrain. The technique consists of resting your eyes for at least 20 seconds by looking 20 feet away every 20 minutes.
6. Outdoor Playtime
In 2008, research was conducted on 1765 six-years-old and 2367 twelve-year-old children to access the connection between outdoor activities and myopia.
The study, published in 2008 in Ophthalmology, suggests that the more time the children spent outdoors, the lower the level of myopia was. So don’t wait any longer and go out to enjoy nature.
7. Another Reason to Quit Smoking
Have you ever thought of kicking the habit of smoking, but you were not motivated enough? Protecting your eyes might be the motivation you were looking for. Most smokers are already aware of the many risks that come with tobacco. Yet, the harm that it can have on their vision is often overlooked.
Since cigarettes can cause optic nerve damage, people that smoke can easily develop cataracts and macular degeneration.
Protecting your eyesight is a lifelong process. Have you heard of other helpful tips that could improve your vision? Please share them with us in the comments section.
