Let’s be honest, how high up your list of New Year’s resolutions was improving eye health?
Not even on there?
Well, you might be inadvertently helping improve the health of your eyes if you’re one of the millions of people that puts a focus on diet, exercise and overall wellness heading into the New Year.
Before we get into the specifics of how you can keep your eyes healthy, we have to point out that the best thing you can do for your eyes, is have regular eye exams. Making changes to your lifestyle will no doubt have a positive effect on your vision, and an opticians will be able to highlight any areas you may need to focus on or have corrected.
If you’re already visiting your optician regularly, perfect! If not, book in and you’ll get scheduled reminders of when your next test is due.
In the meantime, let's look at how you can keep your eyes healthy:
Be aware of how much you use technology
As we’ve previously highlighted, many people spend over 38 hours during the week looking at a screen for work. Which coupled with the temptation to get home, switch the TV on and settle in for the night, could be a conservative estimate!
All of that screen time can affect your eyesight due to the amount of blue light devices emit. This can be particularly stressful to the eyes over long periods of time, which reinforces why you’re encouraged to take a break from your screen every hour.
Pay particular attention to environments that have a high level of light, as the glare from you screen could cause extra stress on your eyes, even if it’s only appearing in a certain position.
Eat well
Now for many people, the link between eye health and having a good diet might not immediately spring to mind.
However eating the right kinds of food can help your vision massively. What you’re looking for is a rich supply of Vitamins A & C, which contain antioxidants. These antioxidants, alongside the Omega 3 fatty acids that are present, keep your Macula healthy - which is the central part of the retina. So it’s quite important!
Exercise
Exercising helps improve blood circulation, increasing oxygen levels and helping the removal of toxins. This can be particularly helpful as you get older, as a 2013 study found that exercise “may be associated with decreased risk of age-related cataract.”
There have also been studies carried out into the link between exercise and both wet age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. The results show that exercise can reduce the risk of becoming victim to these ailments.
How can you keep your eyes healthy?
While there are many things you can do to keep your eyes healthy, as we mentioned earlier, one of the most effective is simply knowing how healthy your eyesight is currently.
Our store in Berkhamsted is fully equipped with the latest technologies like Daytona Optomap® and Topcon 3D OCT 2000 advanced eye examination systems.
Established with an aim to offer quality eye care services and the latest optical products, we have gained a fantastic reputation across Hertfordshire for our dedicated service and our wide range of men's and women's glasses and sunglasses.
For more information, or to book an appointment, get in touch today on info@davidpaul.co.uk or call 01442 879 303.