healthy vision

12 Quick & Practical Tips for Healthier Vision in the New Year

It’s that time again!  The start of a new year means thinking about all the great ways you can improve your life, in order to be happier and healthier. Interestingly, you might find that some of the common goals such as eating better or quitting smoking can also help you achieve another important goal – improved vision!  Here are a few easy ways you can work to protect your eyesight.

Diet Tips

Changes in diet are often at the top of new year’s resolutions lists.  But besides the obvious health benefits of eating better, a better diet can also have lasting improvements to your vision.  Making these easy changes to the food you eat can add important vision-friendly nutrients into your diet.

  • Increase your omega-3 fatty acids with fish, nuts or seeds
  • Get more vitamin C with citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables
  • Eat foods rich in vitamin E like nuts and legumes, seeds, sweet potatoes and eggs
  • Vitamin A is also important for vision and can be found in foods like carrots and sweet potatoes (which are also rich in beta carotene)
  • Increase your zinc intake with beef, chicken, pork or eggs to help delay macular degeneration

Lifestyle Tips

Along with adding the right foods into your diet, there are changes you can make to your everyday lifestyle that can help protect your vision.

  • Stop smoking – most people are fully aware of the dangers of smoking. However, many do not realize that smoking can increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and dry eye syndrome.
  • Wear protective lenses – always remember to wear sunglasses that block 100% of UV rays while outside, quality safety glasses while boating or riding a motorcycle, as well as any protective goggles that are issued at your workplace. Lasting damage can be quickly sustained by the sun’s harmful rays or flying debris if your eyes are not properly guarded.
  • Wash your hands frequently – hopefully during this time of COVID-19, handwashing has become a standard routine. But in case you need another reason, thoroughly washing your hands before touching your eyes can help prevent dangerous bacterial and viral infections that can cause long-term vision damage.
  • Take better care of your contact lenses – make sure you follow proper procedures for care and maintenance of contacts to ensure the safety of your eyes. For example, always wash your hands before touching them, only use fresh, clean solution, store them in a sterilized case and be careful of extended use.

Healthcare Tips

Taking care of your health is very important for many reasons, including maintaining the quality of your vision.  Because your overall health can be a big factor in your eye health, be sure to keep current on health maintenance issues such as the following.

  • Visit your primary doctor regularly – annual exams with your doctor allow you to monitor important factors like blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Abnormalities in any of these can also lead to serious vision issues like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, blurry vision, or vision loss.
  • Get regular vision exams – it is just as important to see your eye doctor for regular eye exams, as many vision conditions are only detectable through a comprehensive evaluation. Early detection can often give you a far better opportunity to fully correct an issue.  Regular exams allow your eye doctor to detect any changes in vision right away, and begin treatment faster.
  • Share your complete family medical history – when you visit your primary care doctor, as well as you eye doctor, it is important to give a detailed history of any medical issues in your family. Many eye conditions are hereditary so sharing your complete history allows your doctor to monitor for those conditions more closely, and advise the best possible care when appropriate.

At Family Vision Development Center, we look forward to helping you ring in the new year with a renewed commitment to protecting your vision.  Our highly qualified team provides eye care for the whole family, including eye exams, glasses and contacts, and advanced vision therapy programs.  Call our Aurora location at 630-862-2020 to schedule your appointment or get additional information.

 

Additional information can be referenced here

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