In the month of July, we recognize National Healthy Eye Month and want to provide you with the best tips to help maintain and strengthen your eyes, as well as your family’s. As you age, your risk for eye diseases may increase and may not show early warning signs. Your overall health is imperative to combat controllable risk factors for a lifetime of seeing your best.
6 Tips to Strenghten and Maintain Your Eye Health:
- Get a Dilated Eye Exam: Getting a dilated eye exam is one of the best ways to preserve your eye health, as it is the only way to find eye diseases early. If you wait too long to do this, then an easily treated disease will be difficult to treat and may cause vision loss.
- Know Your Family History: Glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration can run in families, so knowing your family history is important to understand how to prevent such diseases.
- Choose Eye-healthy Foods: Foods rich in Vitamins A, E and C, omega 3 fatty acids & zinc are beneficial to your eye health. Some examples inlclude: Red bell peppers, sunflower seeds, nuts, dark leafy green, sweet potatoes, oysters, and eggs.
- Wear Polarized Sunglasses: Polarized sunglasses are a stronger option for blocking UVA & UVB rays, lowering your risk for cataracts. If you love being by the water these are a great option, as they cut the glare from the sun on the water more than normal sunglasses.
- Exercise: Exercise can lower your risk for health conditions that can affect your vision such as, diabetes and high blood pressure.
- Stop Smoking: If you are a smoker, your eye health is another reason to quit. When you stop somking your risk for macular degeneration and cataracts decreases.
