Healthy habits for your vision
It’s National Eye Health Week so we have put together this blog with 10 top tips to keep your eyes healthy and to give you the gift of optimum vision so you can see, live and enjoy life. Here’s 10 things that we suggest you could easily (or maybe not!) change to your lifestyle to help your eye health. Wondered ‘how do you keep your eyes healthy’, wonder no more…
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
As part of a healthy balanced diet to help improve our vision we should try and include the following foods in our meals:
- Fish (packed with omega-3 fatty acids)
- Citrus fruits (full of vitamin C)
- Dark, leafy greens such as kale and spinach (rich in plant pigments for healthy eyes)
- Sunflower seeds and nuts (high in omega-3s and vitamin E)
- Legumes such as lentils (good source of zinc)
- Beef (super rich in zinc)
- Eggs (packed with vitamins and antioxidants)
- Sweet potatoes (contains vitamin A)
- Carrots (full of vitamin A)
It is also vital to drink plenty of water to support our eye health to prevent dehydration, which in turn may reduce the symptoms of dry eyes.
Find out more in our ‘Food for Good Eyesight’ blog.
2. Exercise
Being physically active has been proven to reduce the risk of visual impairments. Staying fit can help your eyes stay healthy, as well as the rest of your body.
3. Watching your weight
Keeping your body at a healthy weight can help prevent your body suffering from a number of condition. For your eyes it can protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
4. Sleep well
It is important to get a good nights sleep so you can rest your eyes, reduce eye strain and problems like dry eye. The aim should be to get 8 hours sleep each night.
5. Wash your hands
To reduce the risk of an eye infection it is important to regularly wash your hands. Touching in or near your eye with an unwashed hand can spread bacterial and viral infections such as conjunctivitis (pink eye).
6. Don’t smoke
Smoke from cigarettes can cause irritation and inflammation of your eyes which over a long period will cause a decline on your vision.
Smokers are up to four times more likely to lose their sight than someone who has never smoked.
7. Wear Sunglasses
Pop on a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful (UV) ultraviolet rays. Choose sunglasses with a CE or British Standard or UV 400 mark which ensures an adequate level of ultraviolet protection.
8. Wear eye protection with power tools
Always wear good quality safety glasses/goggles when carrying out DIY jobs around the home or as part of your job. This will reduce the risk of eye injuries.
9. Devices and Blue Light
Most people have to use a device (e.g. mobile, computer, tablet etc) as part of their school, work or home activities. Whilst using these devices your eyes are exposed to harmful ‘blue light’ (the wavelengths emitted are near the bluer part of the spectrum). It is therefore important to take regular screen breaks and look away from the computer as much as you can – have you heard of the 20-20-20 rule? Basically you need to take a break every 20 minutes to focus on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will help ease screen fatigue (signs of this can be tired or irritated eyes, blurred vision, headaches and poor colour perception).
10. Regular eye tests
The last of our top tips is to regularly see your optician/optometrist (such as us at Opticall!). A comprehensive NHS eye test and eye health check should be carried out annually to check for any changes in your vision or to spot any issues/concerns with your eyes.
You can book an eye test with one of our mobile opticians by calling us on 020 8998 4228 or email us at [email protected].