The World In a Better Picture: Ways to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

girl eyes

The eyes are the windows to the soul. They are the first thing we notice when someone enters a room, and they can tell you everything about their mood, whether they’re happy or sad, angry or tired. Eyes can say so much about someone in just a few seconds!

Are your eyes feeling as healthy as they can be? They need to.

Keeping your eyes healthy is a lifelong commitment. Even if you’re not aware of the damage that can be done by eye care neglect, you must take steps to protect and nurture them.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just look in the mirror and see our best selves? But no matter how hard we work to be youthful, some aspects of our lives outlive us—like the health of our eyes. If we don’t take care of them now, they can carry the burden long after we’re gone.

Here are 6 tips on how to keep your eyes healthy so you can avoid many common eye conditions in the future.

1) Get Enough Sleep

The best way to keep your eyes healthy is to get enough sleep. It helps reduce the amount of stress hormones in your body, which can affect your vision. It also helps you think clearer and more clearly.

Studies have found that people who sleep seven hours a night or more are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of vision loss among older adults. If you’re not getting enough sleep, try these tips if you’re having trouble sleeping:

  • – Take a warm bath or shower before going to bed. You’ll feel more relaxed and fall asleep faster.
  • – Make sure that there are no distractions around you while you sleep, such as television or music playing in another room.
  • – Avoid caffeine after 2 p.m., especially if it’s been less than 4 hours since your last dose of caffeine (coffee, tea, soda). If you have trouble falling asleep at night, talk with your doctor about taking prescription medications that may help you relax and get some restful sleep each night.

2) Get Regular Eye Exams

Everyone should have an annual eye exam with their doctor so they know what changes may be occurring with their eyes over time. This includes checking for diseases like macular degeneration — which is caused by aging — as well as diabetes, high blood pressure, and even high cholesterol levels that may put you at risk of glaucoma or cataracts later on down the road.

If you have any concerns about your vision or your eyesight in general, speak with your doctor  from LaGrange Eyecare right away so they can determine what could be causing these problems before.

3) Avoid Rubbing your Eye

One of the most common issues that people experience with their eyes is dryness. Whether it’s from environmental conditions or from an allergy, dry eyes can be extremely uncomfortable and make you feel like you’re constantly rubbing them.

The good news is that there are things you can do to prevent dryness and help your eyes stay healthy and comfortable. Here are some tips on how to keep your eyes healthy:

  • Use a humidifier in your home. This will help keep the air moist and reduce the risk of dryness in your eyes.
  • Drink plenty of water each day. Water hydrates the body and improves blood circulation, which helps with the prevention of dryness in the eyes. It’s especially important for people who suffer from diabetes or high blood pressure, which may lead to eye problems like dryness and irritation caused by poor blood flow.
  • Keep your hands clean when washing dishes or doing other tasks around the house that involve water or cleaning solutions. Dirty hands can introduce bacteria into your eyes, which causes them to become infected.
  • If you are having problems with your eyes, talk to your doctor about what you can do to help them.

4) Wear Eye Protection

sunglasses beach

Eye protection is one vital thing you can do to keep your eyes healthy. It’s also one of the most overlooked steps when it comes to keeping your eyes healthy.

Wear sunglasses that block 100% of UV rays. Sunglasses with UV400 protection will block 100% of UV rays while also filtering out blue light. This kind of protection provides excellent protection against both UVA and UVB rays, which are responsible for more damage than UVC rays (which can be harmful if very intense). But this doesn’t mean that you have to wear sunglasses all day long; they just need to be worn when you are going outside. You should also make sure that they fit properly and don’t irritate your eyes.

If you have any questions about what type of safety glasses to buy or how to use them, talk to an optometrist or contact an eye doctor for more information.

5) Avoid Smoking

Smoking increases the risk of developing cataracts and other eye diseases. Smoking causes changes in the blood vessels, which can affect blood flow to your eyes. This can lead to inflammation and damage to the cornea, which is the clear surface at the front of your eye. Smoking also causes damage to the lens, which is located behind your cornea. Smoking can cause cataracts and glaucoma, two very common eye disorders that are often difficult to treat.

If you smoke, talk with your doctor about ways to quit smoking if you want to preserve your vision. You may be able to take medication or undergo laser surgery or intraocular lens replacement (IOL) surgery as an alternative treatment for cataracts or glaucoma caused by smoking.

6) Eat Healthily

When it comes to simpler ways of taking care of your eyes, eating healthy is a great place to start. Eating more fruits and vegetables in general is great for your vision because the vitamins and minerals they contain help keep your body healthy.

Vitamin A is especially important for the eyes because it helps prevent cataracts and night blindness, while vitamin C helps fight infection. The B vitamins also help keep your body healthy and reduce eye irritation.

If you have been told that you need glasses or contacts, then it is important that you follow these guidelines as closely as possible. If you are not sure whether or not you need glasses or contacts, talk with your optometrist about this question first before making any final decisions about what kind of glasses or contacts will work best for you.

Conclusion

After reading this article, we hope that you are armed with all the information you need to ensure healthy eyes and vision, as well as the tools you need to correct any problems that you might have. There is no question that your eyes are a vital part of your body and your entire life, so we urge you to take proper care of them.