5 Tips to Save Your Vision
Millions of people suffer every day from vision loss and while not all diseases are preventable, there are many that are. The things people do everyday can have a major affect on their vision. Here are a few tips to help you maintain your healthy eyesight!
1. Eat Right: What you eat has a major impact on your body as a whole. Vitamin deficiencies can impair the retina resulting in vision loss. Its important to eat a variety of vegetables, ones high in vitamin C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids. Eating healthy will lower your risk of eye diseases.
2. Don’t Smoke: Tobacco smoke has been proven many times to be linked to multiple different diseases and illnesses. Smoking increases your risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
3. Shielding your eyes: It’s incredibly important to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays. UV rays can increase your risk for cataracts, retinal damage and skin cancer. Make sure to look for sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
4. Contact Lens Care: Make sure to follow your doctor’s instructions for the care of your contact lenses. Sleeping in lenses not approved for extended wear, using expired solution or water to clean them can lead to corneal ulcers, pain and sometimes vision loss.
5. Baseline eye exam: Adults 40 or over should get a baseline eye exam. This is the time when early signs or diseases and changes in vision start to occur. With a baseline exam doctors are able to detect changes in your vision allowing them to notice a disease in its earlier stages.
