Lifestyle Adjustments to Support Your Eye Health

From the moment your eyelids flutter open in the morning, you rely on your eyes to help you navigate the world around you. To help them serve you well for years to come, your eyes can benefit from a few lifestyle adjustments that support their health.

To give you an idea about what we’re talking about, Dr. Curtis Frank and the team here at Vision and Ortho-K Center present the following tips and recommendations for safeguarding your all-important eyes.

Come in to see us regularly

We know that this first tip may sound a little self-serving, but the fact is that many vision-robbing eye diseases don’t have symptoms during their earlier stages, such as glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. To stay one step ahead of these serious eye problems, we can check your eye health through comprehensive eye exams.

For adults who don’t need prescription lenses, we recommend a schedule of once every one or two years, though you may want to visit us annually after the age of 60, when eye diseases tend to be more prevalent.

Eating for great eye health

There are many foods that help support eye health, including:

• Orange veggies, such as carrots and sweet potatoes
• Dark, leafy greens, such as spinach and kale
• Fish that contains omega-3 fats, such as tuna and salmon
• Beans
• Nuts

Ultimately, eating a diet that’s full of fruits, vegetables, and nuts not only benefits your eye health, but your overall health, as well.

Protect your eyes

If you’re engaged in any activity that puts your eyes at risk, please wear protective eyewear. Whether you’re playing racquetball or painting a ceiling, eye protection is terribly important.

As well, you should always don sunglasses when the sun is out, which can help protect against harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Look for glasses that shield you from both UVA and UVB rays.

Manage underlying diseases

Did you know that 90% of blindness due to diabetes is preventable? If you have diabetes or another condition that threatens your eye health, such as high blood pressure, it’s terribly important that you manage these underlying diseases to protect your eye health.

To address the two examples we list above — diabetes and hypertension — controlling your blood sugar and bringing your blood pressure down, respectively, are great ways to preserve your eye health.

Know your risks

Another way to stay one step ahead of your eye health is to understand your family history. If, for example, your family has a history of macular degeneration, we can monitor for this problem, as you may be at greater risk.

Prevent digital eye strain

If you spend a lot of time in front of screens, you may experience digital eye strain. We recommend that you follow the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds). As well, we can outfit you with special lenses that reduce the glare from your screen.

We could go on, but we think this list gives you a great place to start. If you have more questions about safeguarding your eye health or you’d like to schedule an exam, contact our office in Boston, Massachusetts, to set up an appointment.