January is a month of new beginnings—a time in which we look toward the future, setting our sights on new goals and aspirations in the year to come.
However, with January being National Eye Care Month, as well as National Glaucoma Awareness Month, maybe your goals and aspirations should be set on your sight this year.
After all, how can you have a clear vision of the future you desire if you can’t even see what’s right in front of you?
Keep your eyes peeled for 5 useful tips for protecting and preserving your precious peepers that will change your perception of eye care.
5 Hacks for Preventing Eye Problems and Maintaining Good Eye Health—Senior Eye Care, Senior Eye Exams, and More
1. Keep an Eye Out! Be Familiar with Your Family Medical History and Other Risk Factors.
As an overview, when it comes to vision, there are some risk factors that are under our control and others that are not.
Generally, genetics tend to play an important role in our eye health, so it is important to have your eyes wide open when it comes to knowing your family medical history.
Being aware of your family medical history provides you with helpful insight, allowing you to watch out for warning signs that could indicate any present or future eye complications and disorders.
However, don’t let your eyes deceive you. Genetics are not the only factor. There are still plenty of other measures that you can be actively taking to boost your eye health and decrease other risk factors.
For example, leading a healthy lifestyle can optimize your vision. Eating a healthy, balanced diet that incorporates various fruits, vegetables, vitamins, minerals, and fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids (such as tuna, salmon, and halibut) can help your overall eye health and ward off age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration or cataracts.
Furthermore, eating a balanced diet, as well as exercising regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight lowers your risk for obesity and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, which is the leading cause of blindness in adults. It also lowers other risks that increase when you have diabetes such as contracting cataracts, diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
Finally, another significant way to lower your risk factors for eye issues is to avoid or quit smoking, as smoking can damage the optic nerve and increase your risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration, among several other health issues.
2. Don’t Turn a Blind Eye to Danger—Shield Your Eyes from Harm with Protective Eye Wear and Sunglasses.
It is important to be on the lookout for harmful substances, materials, or radiation that can cause serious damage to your unsuspecting eyes.
For instance, if you are in a field of work, such as construction, that involves dangerous chemicals and/ or hazardous materials, it is important to wear protective eyewear that shields your eyes from substances that can damage your eyes and sight.
Similarly, you should also wear protective eyewear if you play any sports that can damage your eyes or are doing home projects. Avoid touching your eyes after touching toxic substances of potent medications that can cause trauma to your eye.
Last, but definitely not least, remember when your mom told you not to stare at the sun or you might go blind? Turns out that she was telling the truth. Too much sun exposure to your eyes can actually raise your chances of contracting cataracts or macular degeneration.
For this reason, it is important to wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from at least 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B when you are outside or in the car. Even if you wear prescription glasses that might offer some type of UV protection, it is generally recommended that you wear sunglasses on top of your prescription glasses.
3. Look Away! Allow Your Eyes to Rest from Too Much Screen Time.
In this day and age, everyone seems to be glued to their screens, whether you spend 8 hours a day staring at your computer screen at work or find yourself constantly scrolling through social media on your phone.
All of this screen time can naturally be straining on your eyes, as staring for long periods of time can dry out your eyes due to decreased blinking, among other frustrating side effects such as headaches; neck, pain, and shoulder pain; blurry vision; trouble focusing at a distance; and blurry vision.
To avoid dealing with eyestrain and all of the side effects it encompasses, it is recommended that you follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes look away at a point that’s about 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds.
4. Don’t Keep Your Eyes Peeled...Take Proper Precautions to Avoid Eye Infections.
Itchy. Inflamed. Irritated. None of these adjectives are a pretty sight or “eye”deal when it comes to your eyes.
However, luckily for you, there are precautions you can take to avoid annoying infections that end up as an eyesore for everyone involved.
As a general rule, it is necessary that your hands are clean before ever making contact with your eyes in any situation, whether you are putting in your contacts or simply need to rub your eyes. If you wear contacts, you should follow the instructions on how to properly clean them and replace them within the recommended timeframe to avoid infection.
Furthermore, it is important to not share anything with others that has made contact with someone’s eyes such as eye drops, contacts, or eye makeup. Sharing these items with others can increase your chance of contracting an eye infection or causing someone else to get an eye infection.
If you are someone that wears makeup, make sure to frequently replace eye makeup such as eyeliner or mascara. These products can acquire a buildup of bacteria over time and blunder your beauty routine from bright, beautiful eyes to glossy, gunky eyes.
5. Look Up Locations Near You—Get Regular Eye Exams and Check-Ups with Your Eye Doctor, Ophthalmologist, or Optometrist.
No matter what age you are, eye exams are an important part of maintaining your optic health.
From assuring that you are able to safely drive and read road signs, perform well in school, or that your eyes are functioning as they should in general, eye exams help prevent serious problems from developing, thus preserving and protecting those precious peepers.
Take some time to give your eyes the care and attention they deserve—Look up locations that offer eye exams near you.
Happy National Eye Care Month!
Eyes forward. Your future and vision are looking bright!
