Healthy Eye Care Habits to Put into Practice
Keeping your eyes healthy is vital for maintaining good eyesight. Your overall health plays a significant role in your eye health. Not only can eye exams determine vision problems or eye diseases but the eyes can give clues to other conditions or diseases present in the body. For this reason, some of the same healthy eye care habits to put into practice will be beneficial not just for your eyes but the rest of your body too.
Daily habits influence the health, quality, and comfort of your eyes. Eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C, and lutein will provide necessary nutrients for healthy vision. Oily fish, green leafy vegetables, protein, and citrus fruits are good examples of eye-healthy foods to consume. In addition, avoiding smoking and tobacco use will go a long way to improving many aspects of one’s health as smoking contributes to optic nerve damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
Protecting the eyes from the sun and other environmental elements as well as practicing safety at work or recreational activities is another healthy eye care habit to put into practice. An estimated 2.5 million eye injuries occur annually in the United States. Wearing protective eyewear such as goggles during sports that involve flying objects or while working on home improvement projects can ensure debris or forceful contact does not affect the eye. Shading the eyes with sunglasses that block 100% UVA rays will protect the eyes while exposed to the sun. While avoiding sun exposure is key, making sure makeup does not seep into the eyes is important too. Good hygiene for the eyes includes proper care of contact lenses if you wear them as well as being aware of the cosmetic products you use. Many eye care products can introduce harmful bacteria to the eyes. Check expiration dates and be sure to replace products every three months to avoid potential eye infections.
Taking a break from computer screens helps to avoid eye strain and dry eyes. It is recommended that you take a break from looking at a screen or monitor every 20 minutes. Blue light filters can help ease the discomfort brought on by looking at the screen, but it is necessary to take frequent breaks, focusing on non-digital objects; in fact, the general rule for keeping the eyes healthy while working on digital screens is the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Artificial tears can be used to help refresh the eyes when they feel dry; often people do not blink as often when they are focused on screens.
Finally, regular eye exams are recommended to stay on top of your eye health. Many eye conditions lack obvious early symptoms and can only be detected, diagnosed, and treated with a thorough eye examination. Protect your vision with healthy eye care habits beginning with an appointment at Kalamazoo Ophthalmology. Call 269-329-5860 or book online at WEBSITE.