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| Some Tips to help take care of your eyes |
Three Ways to Take Care of Your Eyes
Jeepers, creepers — when was the last time you paid attention to your peepers? You might be one of the millions of Americans who neglect their eye health. The high cost of care and lack of coverage prevents many from tending to their vision.
However, you only get one pair of eyes — they have to last you for life. Imagine no longer being able to gaze at the sunset or see the love reflected on your partner’s face. It’s worth it to learn what to do and embrace holistic techniques to maintain vision as you age.
What should you do to take care of your sight? Your eyes are the windows to the soul: Here are three ways to take care of yours.
How to Take Care of Eyes: A Primer
Better eye care begins with an optometrist’s evaluation. Tragically, although more than half of all Americans have a vision problem requiring correction, only 38% have a regular eye doctor, and 63% lack insurance coverage. The average glasses exam runs approximately $100, with corrective lenses doubling or tripling the price. That’s a hefty fee for the millions who already have to choose between rent money, food, and medical care.
However, it’s worth it to come up with the cash, even if you have to start a GoFundMe. Your doctor’s care does more than fit you with the right corrective lens prescription. Your physician will also ask you about your family health history and evaluate your risks of several vision-threatening conditions:
- Diabetes: This blood sugar condition increases your risk of diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma, which can all lead to blindness.
- Glaucoma: This condition is progressive, and catching it early can slow vision loss.
- High blood pressure: This disorder can lead to hypertensive retinopathy.
Your doctor can also advise you about the right protective gear based on your profession. Participants in certain sports and heavy machinery operators should wear safety goggles to prevent particles or equipment malfunctions from injuring their eyes. Furthermore, those who work on the computer daily may benefit from blue light-cutting glasses to reduce strain and fatigue.
There are multiple benefits to learning how to take care of your eyes. It could even improve your mental health. More than one-third of people with vision problems also have depression, and researchers believe one condition can lead to the other.
Furthermore, it improves your physical safety. You’re one of the millions of drivers taking to the roads daily, and impaired vision leads to life-changing accidents.
How to Take Care of Eyes Naturally
Fortunately, you can learn how to take care of your eyes naturally, and many of the changes you make will benefit your overall physical and mental health. Here’s a short list of daily habits to modify to better support your vision.
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| Eggs provide can help provide phytonutrients crucial for visual acuity. |
1. Diet
The first step in taking care of your eyes naturally starts inside your body. Certain nutrients support visual health. Strive to get more of the following foods in your diet:
- Fish: Seafood is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for eye health. Fish oil supplements may also help with dry eye.
- Citrus fruits: These are great sources of vitamins A and C to prevent eye damage from oxidative stress.
- Eggs: Eggs provide lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytonutrients crucial for visual acuity.
Furthermore, stay hydrated. Getting dehydrated contribute to sore, red, and irritated eyes while worsening headaches and strain.
2. Don’t Smoke
Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your vision. It increases your chances of five conditions contributing to blindness: age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and chronic dry eye.
If you struggle to quit, reach out for help. There are plenty of free resources available to help you kick the butts. Above all, try, try again — many smokers make multiple attempts before getting clean for good.
3. Adjust Your Lighting
Fortunately, reading in dim light won’t hurt your eyes — so please don’t panic about all those nights spent under the covers with a book and a flashlight. However, straining to see in dark conditions weakens the muscles surrounding your eyes, resulting in fatigue.
You should take care of excessively bright light, too. Staring at the sun or an artificial light source can cause eye damage.
Learning how to take care of your eyes naturally doesn't take much. These three minor adjustments can make an impressive difference.
How to Take Care of Eyes Daily
It’s equally important to know how to take care of your eyes daily. You may follow a slightly different routine, depending on whether you wear glasses or contacts or have naturally sharp vision.
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| Protect your eyes from the computer |
1. Take Breaks
Long hours at the computer can strain your peepers. Instead, give them regular breaks by practicing the 20-20-20 routine.
Start by setting a timer for 20 minutes. When it sounds, look at a non-electronic object 20 yards away for 20 seconds. Doing so gives you a break from the screen, preventing strain. You can even find free apps to help you employ this method.
2. Protect From the Sun
Perhaps the best way to take care of your eyes daily is to wear sunglasses. The sun’s UVA and UVB rays can up your cataract risk and cause other growths in your eye.
Don’t give up your protection in winter. You run a severe risk of a type of photokeratitis called snow blindness when the white stuff ups the glare quotient. Don’t forget your baby — use a bonnet if they won’t wear sunglasses.
3. Take Out Your Contacts
Have you heard about the woman who complained about blurry vision to her doctor, who removed 23 disposable lenses from her eye? If that example doesn’t teach you to take out your contacts each night, what will?
Taking out your contacts may seem like an unnecessary hassle when you’re exhausted. After all, what are monthly lenses for? However, leaving them in overnight increases your risk of infection or the lens migrating to another part of your cornea that you cannot reach.
4. Wash Your Hands and Face
Your eyes can get sick like any other organ. You can catch infectious diseases like COVID-19 or infect your cornea with any number of nasty bugs.
Step up your hygiene game by washing your hands regularly. Furthermore, wash your face each night if you wear makeup — otherwise, errant flakes can fall and scratch your cornea overnight.
Learning how to take care of your eyes daily is good preventive medicine. Think of the above four tips as your apple a day to stave off vision problems.
Care for Your Eyes Naturally
You might be one of the many with little idea of how to take care of your eyes. However, doing so is crucial to physical and mental health and avoiding disability.
Follow the three tips above for taking care of your eyes. Improve your chances of healthy vision for life by seeing your optometrist and following the right preventive care strategies.
Author: Beth Rush is the content manager and Managing Editor at Body+Mind. She is a well-respected writer in the personal wellness space and shares knowledge on various topics related to nutrition, fitness, holistic health, mental health, and disease prevention. In her spare time, Beth enjoys going for runs and trying out new fitness trends.