5 Tips to Help You Maintain Healthy Vision

Eyes are a crucial part of the body, thus the need to ensure that they are healthy. Numerous things can be done to maintain or improve the health of your eyes and ensure that you are seeing well.

Here are some tips to maintain healthy vision:

• Eat Right to Maintain Good Vision

Maintaining good and healthy vision begins with what you eat. Studies show that eating foods that are rich in nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, lutein as well as vitamin E and C is a good way of keeping away vision problems like cataracts and macular degeneration. Eating a balanced diet will also help you maintain a healthy weight, effectively eliminating your chances of suffering from obesity-related diseases like Type 2 diabetes that also cause blindness.

Thus, regularly eating the following foods helps in promoting good eye health.

 Leafy Green Vegetables
Kale, collard greens and spinach are some of the vegetables that are full of zeaxanthin and lutein plant pigments that help in stemming the development of cataracts and macular degeneration. Avocados, peas and broccoli are also sources of these duo antioxidants. Carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, strawberries, cantaloupe and corn are also excellent sources of vitamin C and A.

 Whole Grains
A diet that contains foods that have low glycemic index (GI) may help in reducing the risk for age-related macular degeneration. You can also consider swapping refined carbohydrates for brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat breads, whole oats and pasta. The zinc, vitamin E and niacin that are in whole grains are known to promote general eye health.

 Sunflower Seeds
Snacking on sunflower seeds that are known to be a great source of zinc and vitamin E will help in keeping your eyes disease-free and healthy.

 Increase Your Intake of Carotenoids
Carotenoids, which is the compound that gives fruits and vegetables their orange, red and yellow pigments, are known to help in decreasing the risk of eye diseases.

 Citrus and Berries
Berries, lemons, grapefruits and oranges are high in vitamin C that reduces the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

 Lutein and Zeaxanthin Foods
These carotenoids are widely found in vegetables and have the ability to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. There are high concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin within the macula that block blue light from penetrating to the retina, thus reducing the risk of light-induced oxidative damage that may lead to macular degeneration.

• Quit Smoking

Research shows that smoking predisposes your eyes to optic nerve damage, getting cataracts as well as macular degeneration that can lead to blindness. If you have attempted to quit smoking, keep trying.

• Wear Sunglasses, Keep Your Contact Lenses Clean and Handle Them with Clean Hands

Wearing the right sunglasses will go a long way in protecting your eyes from ultraviolent (UV) rays from the sun. That is, too much exposure to UV is likely to result in macular degeneration and cataracts. It is recommended that you go for sunglasses the will block 99 to 100% of UVB and UVA rays. Wraparound lenses usually protect the eyes from the side while polarized lenses minimize glare when driving. You can wear sunglasses even if you wear contacts.

It is also important to ensure that your contacts are squeaky clean and you handle them with clean hands. This will prevent problems like fuzzy vision, irritated eyes, discomfort and pain. Ultimately, ensure that you always clean your contacts and store them in a fresh solution.

• Look Away from the Computer Screen

Staring at a computer for long periods is likely to cause blurry vision, eyestrain, dry eyes, headaches, trouble focusing at a distance as well as back, neck and shoulder pain. If you frequently use a computer, you can take the following steps in protecting your eyes:

 Ensure your contact lens and glasses prescription are up to date and appropriate for computer use
 You may consider using glasses to help you with glare, eye strain and contrast when using a computer
 Position your computer at a level where your eyes and the monitor will be at the same level as this allows you to look down at the screen
 Avoid glare from lights and windows on your computer or use an anti-glare screen
 Work from a supportive and comfortable chair, carefully positioning it in such a way that your feet are flat on the ground
 Blink more if your eyes are dry
 Take a rest every 20 minutes, by looking 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. In addition, take a 15-minute break every 2 hours.

• Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly and Know Your Family’s Eye Health History

It is important to have your eyes examined by an eye doctor regularly to protect your sight and ensure you see your best. Eye examinations may also help to diagnose eye diseases that do not have symptoms like glaucoma. You can see either an ophthalmologist or optometrist depending on your eye history.

A comprehensive eye examination will take into account your personal as well as family history as it is important to know eye diseases that are inherited from your family. Among the vision tests that may be carried out, include tests for presbyopia (age-related vision changes), astigmatism (curved cornea that blurs vision), farsightedness and nearsightedness. Tests to determine how well your eyes are working together, check your optic nerves and eye pressure for glaucoma may also be done. In addition, during the eye examination, your doctor might suggest to you emerging practices in managing certain eye diseases that are hereditary as well as recommend a solution for it.

In conclusion, maintaining healthy eyes and good vision requires concerted efforts that range from maintaining a healthy diet to protecting your eyes from harsh conditions amongst other things.

About the Author
Aaron Barriga aspired to become an Eye Doctor when he was younger, but his fantastic knack for understanding people and his outgoing personality led him into the field of Marketing. Working at Insight Vision Centre as their Online Marketing Manager, he has the best of both worlds. He blogs with a mission of informing readers about the latest eye care technology and topics related to eye care and eye health. He loves collecting coasters from the different bars and restaurants he visits during his travels.