Taking care of your eyes is important for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that healthy vision means you can capture life’s special moments with clarity. Unfortunately, many of us partake in daily routines that are unknowingly putting our vision at risk.

Here are a few healthy habits that can be good for your mind, body, and eyes:

Limiting Screen Time

It’s no surprise that screens are impacting our vision in a negative way. Have you ever stared at a computer screen, binged a few shows, or even looked at your phone for too long? We’ve all been there.

Even with all of the screens we look at every day, there is a simple practice that is easy to add into your routine called the 20/20 Rule. This basically means taking regular 20-second breaks from screens about every 20 minutes. This can help your eyes relax from intense focus as well as regain moisture through blinking. Too much screen time for your eyes can lead to Computer Vision Syndrome, which, yes, is a real thing. Keep your eyes fresh and healthy by keeping a close watch on your screen time.

Wash Your Hands Regularly

If you really think about it, we touch our eyes quite often. Something gets in our eyes, a contact gets dislodged, or perhaps we are teary or feeling seasonal allergies. It’s nearly an automatic response, one that we don’t even realize half of the time! If you touch your eyes and your hands aren’t clean, there is a high chance of bacteria getting in there that could lead to inflammation or infection. Additionally, pink eye or even a staph infection can be transmitted through unwashed hands, including seasonal flu and other illnesses, so it is always a good idea to keep your hands clean.

Keep Your Contacts Safe and Clean

It is important that we keep our contacts in good condition. After all, contacts stay in our eyes for several hours a day, and using contacts that are messed up or dirty can be dangerous to our corneas.

The following guidelines can help you maintain the quality of your contacts.

  • Avoid wearing your contacts for an extended period of time.
  • Shy away from reusing contact solution.
  • Keep an eye on the expiration dates of your contact solution and toss it when it expires.
  • Always wash your hands before handling your contacts.
  • If a contact drops on the ground, try to clean it as best you can, but if it is too dirty or damaged, toss it.

Wear Eye Protection

Yard work, power tools, or simple chores around the house can pose a threat to your eye health. Anything that involves a lot of dust, sawdust, or dangerous materials can easily make its way into your eye! Every time you’re working with anything that could be a projectile in the air, wear eye protection. This also applies to sunglasses. The sun can put a massive strain on your eyes, so make sure that you avoid squinting and wear sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection.

Incorporate Eye-Healthy Foods Into Your Diet

The food that we put into our bodies to fuel ourselves really impacts our overall health. Switching your entire diet at the drop of a hat is overwhelming, but adding in a few of these foods can help your eye health as well as your overall health. Remember, everything in moderation. It doesn’t have to be a perfect diet, but even the smallest changes can have a big impact over the long term.

Below is a list of foods that can help reduce your risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and night-blindness.

  • Fish, like salmon and tuna that are high in omega-3’s
  • Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and collard greens
  • Eggs can help provide protein and have a good dose of zinc that the body tends to be short on.
  • Staying away from white flour and eating more whole grains such as barley and quinoa that contain essential B vitamins.
  • Bell peppers and citrus to increase your vitamin C levels
  • Nuts and seeds

Exercise Regularly

Incorporating regular exercise into your routine can help improve eye health. It can also lower stress, regulate sugar, and increase your blood flow. You don’t have to hit the gym for hours at a time or become a marathon runner. Simply getting your heart rate up several times during the week can improve your health.

Monitor Your Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure

As we age, keeping an eye on these three metrics is essential. When they go uncontrolled and unmonitored, they can limit the efficiency of your circulatory system. Proper blood flow ensures good vision health. Without keeping these your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure closely monitored, you could be at risk for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or blurry vision.

Give Your Eyes the Rest They Deserve

Screens are everywhere in our modern world. Additionally, screens are often very close to our faces, which takes away the opportunity for our eyes to use distance vision. When you don’t utilize your distance vision, you can potentially develop near-sightedness and moderate to severe eye strain.

Using blue light glasses can also help your eyes feel more restful when using a screen. Mostly, take regular breaks from screens. Go for a midday walk during lunch and try to look away from your computer as much as you can. Your eyes will thank you!

See Your Doctor Regularly

Keep up with your regular eye appointments and see your doctor routinely. They can easily identify any issues early on and can help you modify your lifestyle to help you keep your sight longer. Contact us to schedule an appointment with your Vistar doctor at one of our conveniently-located offices in Southwest Virginia.

We only get one pair of eyes, and we at Vistar want to help you preserve your sight for experiencing life to its fullest.