So many of us these days have vision problems and need to wear glasses or corrective lenses. A recent study revealed that as much as 50 per cent of the US population is short sighted. I certainly see a lot more children wearing glasses at school these days than there were when I was growing up. Because of all of this it is more and more important to look after your eyes properly and make sure your lifestyle isn’t making your vision worse. So I decided I should share my top 5 tips to keep your eyes healthy:
Get your eyesight checked regularly.
It is advisable to schedule a visit to your optician at least once every 12 months as some eye problems can often go unnoticed until it is too late. Getting regular eye tests can prevent the need for costly corrective treatments in the future so make sure you always follow your optician s advice – if they say you need prescription glasses, or contact lenses start wearing them straight away.
If you need glasses, always wear them!
It doesn’t matter if you think they look good or not, if your optician has told you that you need glasses then you need to be wearing them. Not wearing your glasses or lenses can damage your eyes further and will usually only mean that you will need a stronger prescription later. If you don’t like the way they look then shop around, there are hundreds of frames available and different types and styles of contacts and there is sure to be something you will like.
Maintain a healthy diet for your eyes
Research has proven that certain vitamins and nutrients are good for your eyesight, so making sure that your diet contains plenty of vitamins A, C and E, folic acid, selenium and zinc could help prevent vision problems in the future. If your prescription is very low (-0.25) it s possible that your vision problems could actually be corrected by switching to a diet rich in these nutrients.
Protect your eyes fron the sun
It may sound really obvious to say that UV rays can cause severe damage to your eyes, yet hundreds of people still allow this to happen every year. Sunglasses are an absolute must when going out in the sun, whether you have problems with your eyesight or not. With an endless range of designer sunglasses and fun contact lenses on the market, it’s easy to find a pair that you like and that will give you the all-important protection you need.
Give em regular breaks!
If you spend a lot of time at your computer, it s important to give your eyes regular breaks from looking at the screen. Just closing your eyes or focusing on an object in the distance for 10 seconds once an hour can make a huge difference and helps to prevent headaches and vision problems that are associated with prolonged use of a screen. Remember it s not just work that causes these problems, the same applies to watching TV and playing video games too!
