Our top ten tips for looking after your eyes
Our eyes play such an important role in living life to the fullest, but it’s easy to forget this when we use them on autopilot, meaning at times, we can take them for granted.
Just like any other part of your body, it’s important to look after your eyes so they can continue providing you with the best quality of life, so our team has put together some simple eye health tips on how you can look after your eyes by protecting your vision.
1 Eat well – A balanced diet provides the nutrients your eyes need to thrive. Increase your intake of leafy greens, citrus fruits, blueberries, eggs, oily fish like salmon, and nuts.
2 Quit smoking – Smoking harms the tissues in the eye, increasing the risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration, as well as contributing towards other general health conditions that can affect your eyes, like diabetes.
3 Exercise regularly – Staying active can help reduce the risk of developing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all of which can damage your vision.
4 Rest your eyes – Staring at a screen can lead to eye fatigue, headaches, or dry eyes – known collectively as digital eye strain. Give your eyes a break by looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
5 Protect your eyes from the sun – Wearing sunglasses can protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Overexposure to the sun over the years can increase your risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, while in the short term, it can cause photokeratitis – an acute, painful condition where your corneas become ‘sunburnt’.
6 Practice good contact lens hygiene – To protect your eyes from infections caused by microorganisms, always remove your contacts before swimming or showering, and always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before handling them.
7 Wash your hands – To avoid infections like conjunctivitis, be sure to wash your hands before touching your eyes, and if someone else has it, avoid using the same towels to wipe your face or hands as them.
8 Get enough sleep – Sleeping 7-8 hours each night can reduce the risk of getting dry eyes and eye fatigue.
9 Remove makeup – No matter how tired you are, never go to bed wearing makeup as this can lead to styes and can make conditions like blepharitis, which is an inflammation of the eyelids, worse.
10 Have regular eye tests – Many sight-threatening conditions are asymptomatic during the early stages, meaning they are only noticeable when they’ve significantly advanced. This means your vision could be deteriorating without you realising it.
Fortunately, having a regular eye test in Whitton at our practice can help detect eye conditions as early as possible so that appropriate treatment can be put in place to help preserve your vision.
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If it’s been a while since your last eye exam, we encourage you to visit our opticians in Whitton or contact us for more advice on looking after your eyes.
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