Sure the eyes are the window to the soul, but they are also our window to the world around us. In our youth, we often take the health of our eyes for granted, but taking care of it early on can save future medical bills and even prevent blindness. A few easy preventive measures may preserve your sight in the future.
Shut Out the Sun
The sun warms the Earth and helps plants grow, but as we know from sunburns and skin cancer too much sun breaks down cells and causes irreparable damage. Â Neglecting to protect eyes from the sun may lead to cataracts or worse in the future. Take care to purchase sunglasses with UVA and UVB protective lenses, otherwise you might just be fooling your eyes into opening wider to absorb more damaging rays.
A good rule of thumb, especially if you have a long commute is to always wear sunglasses when driving. This small step blocks a good amount of UV rays and goes a long way to preventing future damage. If you spend all day outside, definitely opt to wear protective lenses to shield your eyes.
Eat for Your Eyes
Eating a well-balanced diet is important to keep all of your bodies functions healthy and operational. Everyone knows that rabbits have great vision because they eat so many carrots, right? Rabbit vision is still a matter of debate, however vitamins and nutrients like Vitamin A and beta-carotene – plentiful in carrots and other colorful vegetables like kale, sweet potatoes, and apricots – do promote eye health.
Additional supplements like fish oil can help with dryness and other eye maladies. Â Fill your plate conscientiously with large servings of vegetables and meats high in Omega-3s to keep your eyes functioning properly.
Exercise
Most of us sit looking at the fixed point of a computer screen each day. Just as it is important to incorporate movement for your heart and circulation versus staying glued to your office chair, it is also important to take time in your day to undo the tunnel vision of the computer screen.
Take mini-walks throughout the day to increase your depth of vision and exercise your eye muscles. Leave your smartphone at your desk–spending your entire walk glued to another screen defeats the benefit of getting a new perspective.
Take time throughout the day to lift your focus off your spreadsheets and focus on an object that is in the distance. Then focus on an object in the foreground. Move your focus back and forth between the two objects. It’s like doing push-ups with your eyes!
Keep Your Appointments
Even if your vision is 20/20, it is important to visit an eye doctor every year to check on your eye health. Eye doctors do not only provide prescriptions for glasses and perform laser eye surgery, they also make sure our eyes are functioning properly and test for diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, and more serious conditions like aneurysms and cancer.
With an already full schedule, it is easy to de-prioritize your visit to the eye doctor if your vision is good. However if you feel tempted to neglect your eye health, imagine life without being able to clearly see your favorite movie, your daughter’s smile, or the vibrant colors of a rainbow after a spring storm. Protecting vision should be the highest priority.
Stay ahead of the curve and “keep an eye” on your vision health. Â The benefits will be with you for the rest of your life.
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