How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy: Five Tips for Glasses Wearers
So many of us these days have vision problems are need to wear glasses or corrective lenses. A recent study revealed that as much as half of the population of the US is short sighted. I certainly see a lot more kids at school these days with glasses than there were when I was growing up. Given all of this it is more and more important to look after your eyes and make sure there’s no way your lifestyle could be making your vision worse. So I thought I should share my top 5 tips to keep your eyes healthy:
Get your vision checked regularly.
It is advisable to schedule an appointment with your optician at least once every 12 months as some eye problems can often go unnoticed until it is too late. Getting regular eye tests can prevent the need for costly corrective treatments in the future so make sure you always follow your optician’s advice – if they say you need prescription glasses, start wearing them straight away.
If you need glasses, always make sure you wear them!
It doesn’t matter whether you think they look good or not, if your optician has told you that you need glasses then you need them. Not wearing your glasses can damage your eyes further and will usually only mean that you will need a stronger prescription later. If you don’t like the way they look then shop around, there are hundreds of frames available and there is sure to be something you will like.
Healthy diet for your eyes
Research has proven that certain vitamins and nutrients are good for your eyesight, so making sure that your diet contains plenty of vitamins A, C and E, folic acid, selenium and zinc could help prevent future vision problems. If your prescription is very low (-0.25) it’s possible that your sight could even be corrected by changing to a diet rich in these nutrients.
Protect your eyes in the summer
It sounds really obvious to say that UV rays can cause severe damage to your eyes, yet hundreds of people still allow this to happen every year. Sunglasses are an absolute must for going out in the sun, whether you have vision problems or not. With an endless range of designer sunglasses on the market, it’s easy to find a pair that you like and that will give you the all-important protection you need.
Give ‘em a break!
If you spend a lot of time at your computer, it’s important to give your eyes regular breaks from looking at the screen. Just closing your eyes or focusing on a distant object for 10 seconds once an hour can make a huge difference and helps to prevent headaches and vision problems that are associated with prolonged use of a screen. Remember these problems don’t just happen at work, the same applies to watching TV and playing video games too!