Aside from wearing glasses or contacts, vision problems can have a significant impact on your quality of life over time. Vision loss can lower your quality of life and increase your risk of depression, diabetes, and other health problems, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Taking simple, everyday steps can help you maintain good eye health and reduce the risk of problems in the future.
Want more health tips? Check out Omega-3-Rich Foods That Provide Many Benefits for Heart, Hearing and Overall Health, Why Your Glasses Get Misty and How to Replace with the Right Type of Healthy Eyeglasses.
Wear glasses
Exposing your eyes to ultraviolet light can cause damage over time. Wearing sunglasses can block harmful UV rays, reducing the risk of eye diseases such as cataracts, sunburn, eye cancer, and growths around the eye, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Smoked glasses or tinted lenses can provide excellent protection from the sun’s rays and reduce glare.
Take screenshots
Prolonged exposure can cause dry eyes, neck and shoulder pain, blurred vision, headaches, and disturbances in digital vision, or computer vision. The American Optometric Association recommends using the 20-20-20 rule to prevent computer vision syndrome. Every 20 minutes, look at an object 20 meters away for 20 seconds.
Take a break from books
Screen time isn’t the only way to rest your eyes. When you read a book, you probably keep it for a long time. Both of these actions can lead to nearsightedness, or myopia, which means that distant objects are not clearly visible while nearby objects are clearly visible. Just as you should use the 20-20-20 rule to take breaks, you should also apply this rule to book breaks. If you find yourself too busy reading or working on the computer, set an alarm so you don’t miss your 20-minute break.
Move your body
Regular exercise can provide eye health benefits, such as promoting healthy blood vessels and reducing the risk of developing glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, according to the AAO. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of physical activity each week, including two days of strength training for your muscles. You can also exercise to reduce stress and eye strain while sitting at your desk.
Read more: Get More Exercise Into Your Daily Routine: 7 Ways That Work
Go outside
Children and adults need to spend more time outside, even if you exercise indoors. Research shows that children who spend time outdoors have a lower risk of developing blindness in adolescence and adulthood. Playing with your kids at the local playground, going for a walk in the woods, or even playing in the backyard can keep the whole family healthy and active. Don’t forget your glasses!
Do not smoke
It is well known that smoking is bad for your health. It can also increase your risk of developing eye diseases such as cataracts or age-related macular degeneration, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Smokers are two to three times more likely to develop cataracts and four times more likely to develop AMD. Future research will determine whether smoking can also cause glaucoma, Graves’ eye disease, thyroid eye disease, and promote diabetic retinopathy. For better health, create a quit plan.
Eat the right foods
The foods you eat every day can affect your eyesight. Eating foods rich in vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc can help cell growth, reduce eye muscle damage, and reduce free radicals that can damage your eyes.
To get the right nutrients for your eyes, eat a healthy diet by including some of the following foods recommended by the AAO:
- Vitamin A and beta-carotene: Apricot, carrot, cantaloupe, sweet potato, red pepper, ricotta cheese, mango
- Vitamin C: Grapes, oranges, lemons, tangerines, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, red peppers.
- Vitamin E: Avocados, almonds, peanuts, wheat germ, sunflower seeds
- Omega-3: fish, sardines, tuna, sardines, trout
- Lutein and Zeaxanthin: Collards, broccoli, eggs, peas, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, mustard greens
- Zinc: Lima beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lean red meats, oysters, hard corn, chicken.
Avoid rubbing the eyes
If you tend to rub your eyes, it can cause eye damage or disease. Dry eyes and eye strain may make you want to rub your eyes, and some may rub them too hard or too often. This can cause problems such as reduced or blurred vision, headaches, swelling, sensitivity of the eyes and light. Another reason to avoid rubbing your eyes is that bacteria or viruses on your fingers or hands can cause conjunctivitis, often called pink eye. Instead of rubbing your eyes, use eye drops or saline to clean your eyes and keep them moisturized. Break the habit and find something else to keep your hands busy until you overcome the habit.
Read more: 7 Home Remedies for Dry, Itchy Eyes
Wash your hands
You should always wash your hands before touching your face or eyes and contact lenses. About 45 million Americans wear contact lenses, and about 1 in 3 have problems with them, and 1 in 5 suffer from contact lens-related eye problems.
Also, no one can tell what kind of germs are on the things you touch after someone accidentally destroys them. Frequent hand washing can reduce the risk of respiratory infections by 21% and diarrheal diseases by 40%, the CDC reports.
Remove your makeup
After a long day, the last thing you think about is removing your eye makeup before bed. But doing so benefits your eye health and can reduce the risk of blepharitis, or eyelid inflammation, according to the Optometrists Network.
You should also have good makeup practices to save your skin and eyes, such as using eye creams, changing your makeup often (especially after an eye infection), not applying eye makeup on the inner lids, and not sharing eye makeup with others. If you use brushes or sponges to apply eye makeup, wash them regularly.
