As you take care of yourself and loved ones throughout the year, you most likely make sure to have regular health visits, such as doctor and dental visits. But, it’s just as important to remember to take care of your family’s eyes.
It’s easy to add proper eye care to your yearly health routine. We’ve highlighted some of the top things you should do throughout the year to keep your eyes healthy and prevent future eye conditions.
Schedule Yearly Comprehensive Exams
An important part of maintaining good eye health is to receive regular vision checkups from your primary eye doctor. Even though you may not have any immediate problems, your eye care professional can look for beginning signs of age-related macular degeneration or subtle signs of common eye diseases. A full dilated eye exam each year will help you stay proactive with your vision.
Protect Your Eyes During Sports
During the spring and summer, sports start to ramp up. Unfortunately, each year thousands of eye injuries occur during sporting activities. Most eye injuries occur in basketball, baseball, and racquet sports, but full contact sports also pose risks. Make sure you and your family wear protective eyewear such as goggles, safety shields, or eye guards when playing sports.
Protect Against UV Rays
To protect your eyes from harmful solar radiation, sunglasses should block 99 to 100%of UV rays. Frames with close-fitting temples and temple tips provide the best protection because they limit how much sunlight reaches your eyes.
Eat Seasonal Produce to Keep Healthy Eyes
Adding key nutrients into your diet can help preserve your vision. In the summer and fall, there’s plenty of fresh, seasonal produce available. That makes adding foods like fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens into your diet an easy, delicious task. These vitamin-rich foods have key elements such as lutein, vitamin C, vitamin E, and Zinc that have been known to reduce the risk of certain eye diseases
Rest Your Eyes Regularly
Spending large amounts of time on digital devices can have negative side effects, especially with your eyes. If you spend a lot of time on the computer, you need to give your eyes a break occasionally. Try to take a rest every 20 minutes and look away from your screen for at least 20 seconds to reduce eye strain.
Practice Safe Wear and Care of Contact Lenses
By not properly following care directions for your contacts, you put yourself at risk for infection, allergies, and the discomfort of dry eyes. In some instances, the infection can be blinding. To avoid the risk of infection, always wash your hands thoroughly and don’t touch the tip of your solution bottle to any surface, including your fingers. Never sleep, shower, or swim in your contact lenses and change them out regularly as instructed.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
If you’re wondering how being at a healthy weight can affect your eye health, its technically all about prevention. Many people who are overweight are at a higher risk of developing diabetes that can cause diabetic eye disease and other conditions which can lead to vision loss.
Here at the Dean McGee Eye Institute, we are committed to you and your overall eye health. View our list of eye doctors in Oklahoma City, as well as in Edmond or Lawton. Selected services are also available in Enid and Shawnee. Take care of your eyes this year and schedule an appointment today by calling 405.271.6060 or 800.787.9012
