Imagine not being able to see. Imagine trying to do your work, take care of your home, get yourself from one place to another, take part in sports, and do your hobbies. It’s hard to imagine because it is easy to take vision for granted. Eyes are like anything else, though, and without proper care, they won’t work. Healthy eyes see better and for longer. Good eye care involves preventing problems, correcting eyesight, and improving health. All of these are important if you want to know how to maintain good eyesight.
Prevention
Whether at work, doing a hobby, or playing sports, it is important to use the right eye protection. Wearing safety glasses might be frustrating, but getting a foreign object in your eye is painful and can lead to permanent damage. Even if you wear contacts, you will need safety glasses in some settings. Be sure to investigate what you need and to always wear the proper safety equipment.
This high-tech world means that everyone has too much ‘screen time.’ Don’t stare at the computer or phone all the time. It’s important to look at things across the room from you so that your eyes can focus on something far away and get a break. To avoid eyestrain, you can increase the size of images and words on your screen, and dim the screen when it is too bright. Using sunglasses can also prevent eye problems.
Correction
To prevent eyestrain, vision should be corrected. There are three ways to do this – glasses, contacts, and laser vision correction. Glasses offer eye protection, but they can be uncomfortable. Contacts give more flexibility than glasses, but they can cause eye infections if not properly cared for. Laser vision correction can end the need for glasses or contacts.
Visit an eye doctor, either an ophthalmologist or an optometrist, on a regular basis to make sure that your eyes are healthy, and to check that your eye correction is right for you. Eye doctors examine the interior of your eyes and check your eye function, as well as helping you with proper correction.
Health
As part of your body, your eyes are only as healthy as you are. They need good nutrition to prevent diseases such as diabetes. Good nutrition also provides the vitamins your eyes need to be healthy.
Your eyes definitely won’t benefit if you smoke. Smoking irritates your eyes and causes eye damage, contributing to cataracts and macular degeneration.
Be sure you are getting enough sleep. You’ve probably experienced how your eyes feel when you have stayed up too late and gotten up too early. That’s a signal that they need the refreshment that sleep provides.
Eyesight for Life
Vision dims as we grow older, yet this is probably less so for healthy eyes. Good vision is a blessing at all ages and a greater blessing as you age because it allows you to continue to do the things you enjoy. Taking good care of your eyesight now will lead to greater independence for a longer time as you age.