Everyday Eye Care Tips
Wear Sunglasses: not just for looking cool. Sun damage is serious business for your eyes. For all of your outdoor activities, you need year-round UV protection for your eyes. Always wear eyeglasses and sunglasses with 100% UV protection. You can’t rely on sunscreen alone for protection from UV rays. Even though 75 percent of Americans report having concerns about UV eye exposure, less than one-third (31 percent) wear sunglasses every time they go outside, according to the 2016 Vision Watch survey of more than 10,000 adults 18 and older. Pearle Vision makes it easy for you to get Rx sunglasses. Click here to find a Pearle Vision Eyecare center in your neighborhood.
Don’t ignore headaches. Reaching for another aspirin? Frequent headaches can be a sign of an eye health issue. Check with your eye doctor or read more about common eye health issues.
Tears can be a good thing. Beware of dry, itchy eyes caused by environmental factors, certain medications or just aging tear ducts. Artificial tears work wonders for thirsty, irritated eyes. Visit your nearest eyecare center.
Don’t be afraid to blink. Healthy eyes need breaks. Frequent blinking prevents fatigue.
Safety first. If you think you should be wearing safety glasses, put them on.
Supercharge your eyes.Diets rich in Vitamin A keep eyes healthy and sparkling. So eat lots of carrots, dark leafy greens or sweet potatoes. Read a full list of eye-healthy foods here.
Give ’em a rest. Reduce computer-related eyestrain with the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Sleep on it! Sleep is the most natural form of eye care. Lack of sleep can lead to increased strain and make your eyes look unhealthy (dark circles or bags).
How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy
Look Away From the Computer Screen
Staring at a computer or phone screen for too long can cause:
Use Safety Eyewear
If you use hazardous or airborne materials on the job or at home, wear safety glasses or protective goggles.
Wear Sunglasses
The right pair of shades will help protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Too much UV exposure boosts your chances of cataracts and macular degeneration.
Quit Smoking
It makes you more likely to get cataracts, damage to your optic nerve, and macular degeneration, among many other medical problems. If you’ve tried to kick the habit before only to start again, keep at it. The more times you try to quit, the more likely you are to succeed. Ask your doctor for help.
Eat Well
Good eye health starts with the food on your plate. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E might help ward off age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataracts. To get them, fill your plate with:
Tips For Choosing The Best Eye Care Center For Your Family
Look for Savings
Money matters. All medical care can be expensive and depending on your family’s needs (and how many family members you have) and eye care is no exception. Look for a vision center that will help you identify what your insurance plan will cover. Many insurance plans will help cover the cost of vision care for your family. Try to find an eye care center that offers promotions, coupons, and more breaks to help you afford treatment. That’s a benefit you can take advantage of over time and it shows that the vision care center wants to help families afford care. That’s a sign that they’re approach is one your family can get behind.
Examine The Mission
What is the Mission of the vision care center you’re looking into? Do they seem primarily concerned with cultivating lifelong eye care relationships with patients of all ages? Or, do they seem like they’re motivated by making money and taking on as many new patients as possible to grow profits? If it’s the latter, you have to ask yourself ‘Is this the right place for me and my family?’ Especially for younger children, it’s important to find an optometrist who will put them at ease and be a steady resource for all kinds of vision maintenance and improvement. An optometrist that can provide vision for life is invaluable to your family. Find an eye care center with values that match your own. It’s the groundwork for a successful and lasting eye care relationship.
Go Somewhere with Selection
After you receive top-flight medical care from an optometrist and they determine you need glasses or contacts, it’s a humongous benefit to be able to find what you need right in the same vision center. Opt for an eye care center that has an incredible selection of glasses (lenses and frames) for every need. Not only should you be able to order contacts from your vision care center, but you should also be able to find the perfect pair of glasses. Find an eye doctor that has brand names at competitive prices. A good selection will make it easy for each person in your family (who needs glasses) to find the pair that works for them! Think about the trouble saved when you’re able to knock out eye exams and find new glasses for everyone in the same place.
Make Sure They’re Qualified
This tip can apply across the medical care spectrum. But, it’s important. Your family is what matters most. Ensure that you’re taking them to an eye care center with licensed, credentialed, and experienced optometrists. How long the vision center has been in business, how trusted it is within a community, and its experience treating patients should all be considered when choosing where to take your family for vision care. You want to find an optometrist that will be a resource for vision care throughout each family member’s life. That’s a tall task and not everyone will be up to it. Find eye doctors who want that life long relationship and have the skills to back it up.
Ask if They Treat All Ages
Taking a child or a grandparent into an eye care center for their first exam is enough of an event. If the optometrist you’re seeing doesn’t have experience treating particular age groups, that can add undue pressure and result in some clumsy interactions and sub par treatment. Find out ahead of time whether the eye care center you’re considering has experience treating all ages. You want to find an optometrist that has seen it all and is equally comfortable treating a 4-year-old as they are treating an 80-year-old and every age in between. If you’re looking for a family vision care center, make sure that the entire family can find the treatment they need there. That will make eye doctor appointments easier on your family and will spare inexperienced optometrists the awkwardness.
Eye Care Tips Your Optometrist Wishes You Knew
Take UV Damage Seriously
Don’t reserve your sunnies for bright days. “UV damage to your eyes is cumulative over your lifetime,” says North. “Make sure the label on your sunglasses says they block 100 per cent of UVA and UVB rays.” Overexposure to UV light is linked to cataracts, macular degeneration, eyelid cancer and corneal sunburn.
Be Careful with Cosmetics
Eyelash extensions are trendy, but the strong glue that holds them on can cause allergic reactions or chemical burns. Reserve those fluttery lashes for special occasions, and be sure to go to a licensed aesthetician who uses sterile equipment.
Learn to Fight Screen Fatigue
Sit back as far as possible, get rid of any extraneous glare and take frequent breaks: some optometrists recommend looking away at least every 20 minutes. “Staring at a screen is like holding a weight over your head,” North says. “Every time you look away, those muscles relax.”
Digital Eye Strain is on the Rise
And most bifocals and reading glasses aren’t designed for computer use. “Get prescription eyewear specifically for work,” says North.
Never Rinse Your Contacts in Tap Water
Acanthamoeba, a rare but nasty sight-destroying bug, may lurk in your water supply.
Tips for Optimal Eye Health
The Sooner the Better
Timing is of undeniable significance when it comes to treating most serious eye conditions like AMD and glaucoma. The sooner they get diagnosed, the higher is the probability of treating them successfully. So, start consulting your eye doctor regularly before it’s too late.
Avoid Excessive Coffee Consumption
To be honest, that hurt me the most as well, but I still prefer healthy eyes. If the thought of a steamy cup in front of you every afternoon is too strong to resist, try replacing coffee with green tea. In addition to fulfilling your body’s fluid requirements, green tea is known to be a great source of catechins, which along with other antioxidants (like vitamin C, vitamin E, zeaxanthin and lutein) help eyes fight against various eye problems including cataracts and AMD.
Sharing Your Towel is Not a Good Idea
Being generous is one thing and sharing your towel is a totally different one. It’s more like choosing between the two, because sharing face towels and washers means getting your eyes vulnerable to contagious eye infections like conjunctivitis (or pinkeye).
Sleep Well
Your eyes can also get into trouble if you are in a habit of skipping sleep regularly. Adequate sleep ensures that your eyes are well rested and strain free.
Stay Hydrated
Talking of dry eyes, dehydration can also lead to it. Human body relies heavily on water to function smoothly. If you are not conscious about fluid level in your body, tear production in your eyes is also affected amongst a myriad of other complications, which results in dry eyes. Simply, stay hydrated to keep your eyes out of trouble.