Boosting Eye Health: 7 Tips for a Lifetime of Healthy Vision

Paying attention to your eye health is essential for long-term healthy vision. While everyone wants good vision, they often overlook the steps it takes to achieve better eye health. A lack of care for your eyesight now can cause bigger issues later on, so it’s essential you start the journey to improving your vision today.

We know it can be challenging to know the next right step in protecting and promoting your eye health — that’s where we come in. Keep reading to learn more about potential conditions resulting from a lack of eye care and seven actionable tips to promote a lifetime of healthy vision. Let’s get started!

Conditions Related to a Poor Eyesight Care

You become more vulnerable to conditions that cause vision problems when you don’t practice proper eye care. A lack of care for your eyesight is something that can have severe consequences down the road, including the development of some of the following eye conditions:

• Glaucoma: This eye condition occurs due to damage to the eye’s optic nerve, which develops over time and causes visual field loss. Any excess pressure in the eye caused by abnormalities in the drainage system can further damage the optic nerve and lead to vision problems. Several actions can be taken to minimize the chance of developing glaucoma. The condition is related to a lack of care for your overall health, meaning glaucoma risks can be reduced through prescription eyedrops, maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure, remaining physically active, and avoiding smoking.
  
• Cataracts: This condition develops when clouding occurs in the eye’s lens. Over time, this cloudiness can significantly worsen your vision by making it blurrier, decreasing contrast, and causing double vision, among many other effects. Similar to glaucoma, there are measures that individuals can take to lower their chance of developing cataracts. Smoking, unbalanced diets, and neglecting to wear eye protection can increase your chances of experiencing cataracts.
  
• Age-Related Macular Degeneration: This eye condition blurs the central vision in your eyes and occurs when damage is caused to the eye’s macula, part of the retina. Macular degeneration is one of the primary causes of vision loss. While it doesn’t lead to blindness, it can cause significant damage and make daily tasks challenging. Failing to care for your eyesight can increase your risk of age-related macular degeneration.

7 Tips for Taking Care of Your Eyesight

1.     Have a Dilated Eye Exam

Maintaining a healthy vision requires regular professional assessments to determine whether your eyes need additional care or show signs of developing conditions. A thorough dilated eye exam is the only way to be positive about the state of your eye health. During this exam, an eye care professional administers eye drops to dilate the eye’s pupil, allowing light to enter the eye so the expert can examine the back of your eyes for potential signs of damage.

This exam will also provide you with steps forward to protect your eyes in the future and reduce the risk of further damage or vision loss. When in doubt, always trust the experts before making your next move.

2. Wear Sunglasses and Protective Eyewear

Wearing eye protection, such as sunglasses and other protective eyewear, to prevent damage to your vision is a simple way to promote better eye health. Sunglasses are essential to prevent the sun’s rays from causing permanent damage to your eyes. Sunglasses help block ultraviolet rays, as overexposure to these rays can cause cataracts and other severe eye conditions.

However, not all sunglasses are created equally, so staying smart when you shop is important. Look for sunglasses and protective wear that can block out 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation for the highest level of protection.

You should wear protective eye gear in any situation where your eyes are at risk of harm, especially in your place of work. Whether you’re operating outdoors, using chemicals, or working in a position that requires extensive physical labor, protective eyewear is a must for the future of your eye health.

3. Avoid Screens

While it’s nearly impossible to avoid digital screens in the modern world, limiting your time spent in front of a computer or staring at your phone is a simple way to practice better eye health. Spending too much time in front of a screen causes strain on your eyes, blurry vision, headaches, and other unwanted symptoms.

When you can’t avoid screens, ensure you have an appropriate prescription to protect your eyes as much as possible. Additionally, consider speaking with an eye care professional about using blue light glasses to limit strain on your eyes when stuck in front of a computer.

Always take breaks from your screens to rest your eyes, even briefly. Taking breaks reduces the adverse effects of too much screen time to keep your eyes healthy and your mind clear.

4. Watch What You Eat

Your diet is related to virtually every aspect of your health, and your eyesight is no exception to this rule. Nutrient-rich foods are vital to maintaining your eye health in the long term. Foods packed with vitamins like Vitamin C, E, and other nutrients contribute to your eye health by strengthening them and fighting against conditions like macular degeneration and cataracts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest a healthy diet to promote eye health that incorporates dark leafy greens, such as spinach or kale, because these foods are high in antioxidants called zeaxanthin and lutein. The CDC also advises a diet that includes eating fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, including tuna, salmon, and halibut. Ultimately, a balanced diet can do wonders for your vision as you age.

5. Know Your Eye Health History

Knowing your family’s history of eye health or eye conditions can give you a better idea of maintaining healthy vision and what steps you should take to live healthier. Because many eye diseases, such as macular degeneration and glaucoma, tend to run in the family, knowing your history can allow for early preventative measures to reduce your risk of developing an eye condition.

Speak with your relatives about previous problems, and communicate your findings with your eye doctor to ensure all precautions are taken to improve your eye health.

6. Monitor Your Other Health Conditions

While some health conditions might seem unrelated to your eye health, they can play a role in the future development of eye conditions that damage your vision. Chronic health issues, namely high blood pressure and diabetes, can worsen your eye health if left untreated or mismanaged.

These conditions increase the chance of developing conditions like glaucoma. Individuals who are concerned about potential health issues should speak with their doctor to discover steps to monitor and treat these conditions properly. Avoiding this conversation can lead to future vision problems or loss, and conditions like diabetic eye disease, or retinopathy, may develop and lead to blindness.

7. Avoid Smoking

Smoking can worsen your eye health, causing troublesome eye conditions to develop. Quitting or abstaining from smoking can reduce your chances of eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration, as the habit causes damage to your eye’s optic nerve.

The chances of smokers developing these conditions are significant: smokers are twice as likely to develop age-related macular degeneration compared to people who don’t smoke and two to three times more likely to develop cataracts than those who don’t smoke. By avoiding the habit altogether, you can save yourself from future hardships.

How Newsom Eye Protects Your Vision

Whether you’re concerned about your eye health or looking for ways to treat current conditions, having a trusted eye doctor is necessary to ensure that your eyes are as healthy as they can be, regardless of age. The eye care professionals at Newsom Eye are dedicated to protecting your vision and promoting healthier sight for all patients.

Newsom Eye specializes in cataracts and refractive eye surgery to promote better vision for all people and help you see life through a clearer lens. Our advanced technology ensures that all patients receive the best quality of care and have the resources they need to pursue a life of healthy vision. No matter what you need to boost your eye health, Newsom Eye can help.

Prioritizing your eye health starts today. Contact the experts at Newsom Eye to make an appointment and protect your vision, now and in the future.