Everyday Tips For Healthy Eyes

Keeping your eyes healthy is of the utmost importance as a person grows and ages. You may not realize that some of the most everyday activities and routines can help keep your eyes healthy and ensure you’re seeing your very best.

Get a comprehensive eye exam each year. Even if you think your vision is just fine, a comprehensive vision exam can help detect the early signs of diseases such as glaucoma, diabetes, and macular degeneration. Likewise, an eye exam may point out common vision problems you didn’t even know you had.

Maintain diet and exercise. You already know how important diet and exercise is for healthy living, but did you know it can also affect your eyes? A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, as well as fish or flaxseed high in omega-3 fatty acids, can help sustain good vision. And maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the risk of diabetes, which can often lead to vision loss and eye infections.

Invest in protective eyewear and sunwear. Whether you’re playing your favorite sport or finishing up some DIY projects at home, wear appropriate protective eyewear such as safety glasses, goggles, and shields/guards to prevent accidental injury. Just the same, protective sunwear will guard against UV-A and UV-B radiation from the sun’s rays. This doesn’t always have to mean glasses - may contact lenses offer UV protection and some specialty contact lenses have a protective effect.

Practice good eye hygiene. This may be common sense, but it bears repeating to ensure you’re avoiding the risk of infection. Whenever handling your contact lenses, be sure to first wash your hands, always disinfect your lenses before wearing, and replace them at the end of their lifespan.  Make sure you are practicing good eyeLID hygiene by using lid scrubs, baby shampoo, or a doctor recommended product to prevent Demodex infection and blepharitis, a common cause of dry eye and styes.