Preventative care is important for your overall health. One part of the body that is often overlooked until it becomes a problem is the eyes. Maintaining healthy vision is simple but requires a bit of practice and care on your behalf. If you have a history of vision loss or fear that your vision could be failing as you age, it is time to be proactive and do things that will improve your health. Below are a few tips to get you started.
Visit the Eye Doctor
Everyone under the age of 50 should schedule an eye exam at least once every two to three years. Early detection of vision problems is the number one method for maintaining proper vision. Your eye doctor will give an exam that will evaluate how well you can see, how far and close you can see, as well as how your vision might respond to certain lighting.
Know Your Family History
Learning the history of your family’s health is key to early detection for vision loss. Ask the older members in your family about any particular causes of partial or complete vision loss and what the causes of that were. This information should be provided to your eye doctor at your next exam.
Maintain a healthy Diet
In order to maintain healthy eyesight you must be willing to maintain a healthy diet selection of sufficient vitamins and nutrients. They play a significant role in keeping the eyes moist which protects them from infections. Start eating foods that are rich in omega fatty acids and leafy green vegetables have a lot of the valuable nutrients that you need. Vitamins E, C, and A are all essential to the eyesight while lutein and zeaxanthin are great for protecting the retina of the eye.
Maintaining things such as your blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol are equally as important. For those who smoke, quitting might be your best option. There have been medical studies that link toxins in the cigarette smoke to serious eye conditions. Stay away from cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, and other things that pollute the air as well. For those with preexisting conditions such as diabetes, regular eye exams and careful monitoring of the sugar levels is important.
Wear Protective Eye Gear
When involved in activities that could cause serious damage to your vision such as construction jobs, home projects, sports, shooting firearms, and playing paintball. Allowing things to get in your eye can damage your vision.
Other things to improve your vision and prevent loss are to try common practices for preventing eyestrain. This includes allowing your eyes to rest after sitting in front of a computer all day, blinking on the regular bases to help reduce tear evaporation, and refocusing your attention when driving and staring at the road for a long period of time. Any problems that you might encounter with your vision no matter how minor they are should be reported to your eye doctor to be checked. Catching problems early gives them time to provide proper treatment which could restore your vision to new.
