Tips for Keeping the Eyes Healthy
#1 Focus on Nutrition
Nutrition are always the important to keep our body healthy, including eye health. Research shows that eating a healthy diet that high in fruits and green leafy vegetables promotes eye health and may helps to reduce the risk of developing some serious eye problems. For example, spinach, kale and collard greens.
Research has also shown there are eye health benefits from eating food that high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna and halibut.
#2 Be cool and wear your shades
Sunglasses are great fashion accessory, they also helps to protect our eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When choosing sunglasses, look for those that block out 99 to 100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
#3 Practice 20-20-20 rules
Most of us spending a lot of time in front of computer or focusing on any one thing. This causes tiredness of eyes.
Practice the 20-20-20 rule to reduce eyestrain, in which look away about 20 feet for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
#4 Clean the hands and keep contact lens properly
It is a must to wash the hands thoroughly before putting in or taking out contact lens to reduce the risk of getting eye infection. Follow the disinfection instruction and replace your contact lens frequently.
Improper care and use of contacts lens can irritate the eyes and lead to redness, pain, swelling and infection.
#5 Maintain a healthy weight and quit smoking
Being overweight or obese increase the risk of developing diabetes, which can leads to vision loss such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma. Thus, avoid excessive calorie intake to maintain Body Mass Index (BMI) at 18.5 – 24.9.
BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight with the formula of weight(kg) divided by Height squared (m).
On the other hand, research indicates that smoking is a risk factor for degenerative eye disease such as cataract, optic nerve damage which can lead to blindness.
Smoking is bad for our health, quit smoking or never start it at all.
Bonus: Get Regular Eye Exams
Many people thought that there is unnecessary to schedule regular eye exam. But the concept is definitely wrong.
The only way to ensure our vision is in good condition is to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam. The exam is able to detect common vision problems such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at the early stage.
Thus, schedule regular exam at least once a year particularly for children and seniors whose vision can change relatively rapidly is recommended.
