I knew as soon as I had kids that they were doomed to have poor eyesight. With both myself and my husband wearing glasses it seemed inevitable that they would need them too. I wasn’t wrong, it wasn’t long after they started school that glasses became a necessity for both of them. While genetics play a large role in our eyesight there are a few ways you can take better care of your eyesight and keep things from getting worse!
There are many aspects of our health and wellbeing that get easily ignored, and our eyesight can be one of them. It’s easy to feel as if there are no problems for you in this area, especially when you don’t yet have eye problems, unlike our family! But that’s only going to remain the case if you start taking active steps to look after your eyesight. Here’s how you can do that.
How to Take Better Care of Your Eyesight
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Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle and Avoid Diabetes
One of the most common conditions that can have a negative impact on your eyesight is diabetes. Helping to avoid the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is one very good reason to pursue a healthy and active lifestyle. Type 2 diabetes can lead to diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma. Those are problems you’ll definitely want to avoid, so try to keep your weight at a healthy level for someone of your height and make sure you stay as active as possible!
Attend Regular Eye Exams
You should make sure that you get an eye exam if you haven’t done so for a long time. And then going forward, you should make sure that you attend eye exams on a regular basis. Typically it is suggested that you make an appointment to get an eye exam at least once every two years. People with existing eye problems or those at risk of developing problems should go once a year. That way, you can track the quality of your eyesight and make sure that problems are spotted early on. You don’t want to let them develop and get worse.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Your diet definitely has an impact on your eyesight, and that’s why you should aim to make it as healthy as it possibly can be. Try to eat plenty of fish containing omega-3 which is great for your eyes. Fruit, vegetables, and leafy greens are all really important when it comes to taking care of your eyesight too. A sensible and balanced diet is good for us no matter what our goals are!
Wear Protective Eye-wear When It’s Beneficial to Do So
When you find yourself in a situation where your eyesight or the health of your eyes is at risk, you should wear protective eyewear. This includes work settings where machinery is being used and anywhere where there are corrosive chemicals. That extra effort to protect your eyes could be the thing that helps to avert serious harm and damage.
It’s also a good idea to protect your eyes from sun damage while spending time outside. You can opt to wear a broad rimmed hat while enjoying the sunshine during summer months or look for a pair of sunglasses rated to protect you from harmful UV rays.
Give Your Eyes a Break From Time to Time
As a blogger, I understand far too well how screen time can really add up during the day. In today’s society, its estimated that office workers spend as much as 1700 hours a year in front of a computer screen! If you’re a part of that demographic your probably familiar with the eye strain this can cause.
Recent studies are showing a correlation between this screen time and long lasting eye damage. Although this evidence is still being researched no one likes the discomfort eye strain can cause. Take a break every now and then and let your eyes focus on something other then the screen! When your eyes start to feel tired it might be a good time to take a walk and enjoy the outdoor scenery!
Understand Your Family History and Risks
Finally, you should think about how your family health history might impact your eyesight. If you have a history of eye problems and diseases in the family, you should be aware of these and get checked for problems regularly. And if there are any other risk factors that apply to you, you should take extra care to protect yourself.
There are many different ways in which you can start taking care of your eyesight. If this is something that you feel like you’ve been neglecting recently, now is the perfect time to change that. The tips and ideas above will help you to do that, so make the most of them.
Oh this is such useful information for me! I have terrible eyesight, and it always seems to get worse every time I go to the eye doctor!
I feel your pain! My eyes are genetically doomed I think.