What Causes Eye Sight Issues? Tips to Keep Your Eye Healthy

To have a good vision is to keep healthy. Good health is an important part of having better eyesight. The healthier you are, the better you can avoid the risk of your eyes. Read on to learn how to improve your eyesight.

Here are a few ways to improve your eye health:

• Let us begin by protecting our eyes by wearing glasses

You already know that when you are outdoors, you need to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from ultraviolet rays (UV). But what most of us did not know was that we also need to wear protective sunglasses to protect our eyes from the same UV rays. The sun emits energy (radiation) in many ways. The sunlight we see is a form and the warmth we feel from the sun is another. Ultraviolet (UV) rays, a third type, are also invisible to the eye. UV rays cause sunburn. They can also damage your eyes and hurt your vision. You need sunglasses that block 99-100 percent of UVA and UVB rays in the sun. Sunglasses help protect your eyes from eye damage. These include cataracts, macular degeneration, and pterygium (tissue growth in the white areas of the eye). Pterygium can lead to astigmatism and can cause vision loss. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat also helps protect your eyes from sun damage.

Even when playing racquetball, working in the garage, or doing scientific experiments at school, it is important to protect your eyes with proper eyeglasses. Rugged safety glasses are essential if you are at risk of seeing chemicals, sharp objects, or substances such as wood chips, metal debris, or even lost elbows during a basketball game. Many goggles are made of a type of polycarbonate that is about 10 times stronger than other types of plastic.

• Try controlling your Blood Pressure

Controlling your blood pressure is not just a good idea for your heart. It is also a good idea for protecting your eyesight. High blood pressure can increase the risk of glaucoma. Also, if you have diabetes, you may increase your risk of diabetic retinopathy. These situations are related to persistent inflammation, which could damage your health from head to toe. Inflammation of the optic nerve, for example, can most definitely cause pain or even complete vision loss. While a disease like multiple sclerosis can`t be prevented, you may try and handle it with healthy habits and medications. High blood pressure may be easily and effectively handled with a heart-healthful diet, exercise, and antihypertensive medications.

• Staying active can help in having better vision

Being active is part of a healthy lifestyle that can improve your overall health. Regular exercise can reduce your risk of developing problems that can lead to eye disease. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. Yes, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight can help your eyes and not just your waistline. Type 2 diabetes, which is common in people who are overweight or obese, can damage small blood vessels in the eyes. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy. Too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream damages the delicate walls of the arteries. In diabetic retinopathy, the very small arteries in the retina (behind the light-sensitive eyes) leak blood and fluids into the eyes, affecting vision. Regularly checking your blood sugar and staying healthy can reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes and many of its complications.

• Avoid smoking as much as possible.

We always say smoking is injurious to health, and it always keeps being right. If you quit smoking, it can bring many positive effects on your health. Quitting smoking can also protect your eye health. A decrease in smoking may reduce your risk of developing various types of eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration, Cataracts, and Glaucoma. It also reduces your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy if you are diabetic.

• You can follow the 20-20-20 rule

Your eyes work hard during the day and need a break now and then. The strain can be especially intense if you work at a computer for long stretches at a time. To ease the strain, follow the 20-20-20 rule which means every 20 minutes, you should stop staring at your computer and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

• Do Learn the history of eye health in your family

As we know some eye conditions are hereditary, and knowing the eye condition of your parents or grandparents can help you take precautions. Some hereditary disorders are glaucoma, retinal degeneration, age-related macular degeneration, optic atrophy, etc. so, understanding your family history can help you take early precautions.

• Make sure to keep your hands and lenses clean

Your eyes are especially vulnerable to bacteria and infections. Even something that irritates your eyes can affect your eyesight. For these reasons, you should always wash your hands before touching your eyes or handling contact lenses. It`s also super important to wash your hands and disinfect your contact lensesas instructed. You should also replace your contact lenses as advised by the manufacturer or your doctor. Germs in your contact lenses can lead to bacterial infections of the eyes.

Having healthy food is a major step in improving your eye health

Lifelong good nutrition may lower your risk of some eye diseases. By eating a healthy, balanced diet, you will have a better chance of staying healthy and keeping your eyes healthy. Carrots are probably the best-known food to help your eyes. However, other foods and their nutrients can become more important in maintaining vision with age. A lifetime diet rich in certain dark green vegetables, such as spinach and kale, may reduce your risk of getting AMD (the most likely cause of vision loss in old age). By eating healthy foods, you will lower your risk of developing other diseases, such as diabetes, which can lead to diabetic eye disease. Vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega 3 fatty acids all affect eye health. They can help prevent cataracts and clouding on your eye lenses.

• Antioxidants protect your eyes from damage from sunlight, cigarette smoke, air pollution, and more. These leafy vegetables spinach and kale contain two of the best for the eyes: lutein and zeaxanthin. They are thought to enter your eye’s crystalline lens and retina and absorb damaging visible light. Most people are deficient in these two nutrients, but there is an easy solution. Eating a cooked 10-ounce block of frozen spinach for a week helps reduce the risk of age-related eye disease. Kale has twice as many nutrients. Collard greens, broccoli, and colorful fruits like kiwis and grapes are also ways to get them.

• Grapefruit, strawberries, Brussels sprouts. Vitamin C is the best antioxidant. These foods are one of the top sources of vitamin C. Eat half a grapefruit and a few Brussels sprouts or strawberries (half a cup) a day and you are ready to go. Papayas, oranges, and peppers are other good sources.

• Also consider seeds, nuts and wheat germ as vitamins C and E work together to keep healthy tissue strong. However, most of us do not get the required amount of vitamin E from food. So, eat a few sunflower seeds or use a tablespoon of wheat germ oil for salad dressing to give a big boost. Almonds, pecan nuts, and vegetable oils are also good sources.

• Having just two oysters give enough zinc daily to keep the retina of the eye in top condition. Turkey sandwiches are also a great source of information. Zinc is also found in other meats, eggs, peanuts, and whole grains.

• Omega 3 fatty acids , which keep the heart and brain healthy, can also protect the eyes by fighting inflammation and improving cell function. Eat at least 2 servings of cold-water fish per week. Salmon, sardines, and herring are the most abundant in omega-3 fatty acids, but flounder, halibut, and tuna are also useful sources.

• We already know Carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes are good for our eyes. Do not forget the dark orange and yellow vegetables and fruits of beta-carotene. It is converted to vitamin A, which helps prevent night blindness. A small, sweet potato, carrot, or a bowl of pumpkin soup prepares for the day. Winter squash, kale, and peppers are other top sources.

Regular eye examinations are just one of the many ways to improve your eyesight and prevent injuries and illnesses that can affect your eyesight. You may not associate washing your hands, eating your vegetables, or watching your weight as key steps toward better eyesight, but they all play a role. Living a healthier lifestyle and protecting your eyes from the sun and foreign objects can`t protect against every eye condition. But they can all lower your odds of developing a problem that could hurt your vision.