Sometimes, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with new year’s resolutions. The key is to aim for small, daily changes – and happily, resolutions for your eye health are just that. No big exercise regimens, no major dietary changes, just easy everyday changes whose effects you’ll “see” almost immediately.

#1 Limit Screen Exposure

Yes, we imagine you’re reading this on a screen right now; like it or not, screens are an integral part of work and play these days. But it’s an easy first step to monitor your time on your phone or laptop using one of many tracking apps – then, simply try to cut it back by 10% over the course of the month. There are numerous mindfulness apps to help, too, like Forest, which plants trees on your screen (and for real!) as a reward for giving your eyes a break.

If you’re in a professional situation where screen time is mandatory, you can still be mindful of your computer’s glow. Look around every few minutes to gather your thoughts instead of taking a social media break –and give your eyes a chance to relax. Combine it with a brief walk to help your circulation and posture.

#2 Wear Sunglasses On Bright Days

Winter brings plenty of white snow and cloudless days – a perfect recipe for diminished vision. And even in the summer, bright sun can burden your eyes if you’re in a darker space, like a car, looking into a bright space. Solution? Get yourself some cool shades to keep in the car, your purse, or your backpack. Just make sure they offer 100% UV protection! Your optometrist can even help you find a good set with dimmed lenses that match your vision needs if you regularly wear corrective glasses.

#3 Practice Better Contact Maintenace

If you’re a frequent contact wearer, make sure you’re practicing good daily contact health habits with them. Few things can erode your eye health faster than poorly-maintained contacts that you use daily! Never sleep in your contacts, for starters – and always use new contact solution in a regularly-cleaned container. Ideally, use daily contacts. Dirty or misshapen contacts can scratch the surface area of your eye, leading to corneal ulcers or infections.

#4 Eat More Delicious Salads

Skip the drive-thru salad-in-a-box and treat yourself to something delicious. The best salad foundations, like dark-green kale, are full of lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients found in the healthy eye that are believed to lower your risk for age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. There’s other good news here, too – regular consumption of other great salad ingredients, like salmon, citrus, and legumes are also shown to benefit your eyes, from omega-3 oils to trace minerals like zinc. So consider this permission to treat yourself to delicious, premium salads on the regular!

#5 Schedule a Checkup With Your Eye Doctor

At the end of the day, an ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure. So many optical issues, if detected early on, can be corrected with affordable, minimally invasive or non-invasive procedures, saving you time and money down the road. Take the first week of January to schedule your check-up this year.

Personal health is made up of hundreds of daily decisions, and resolving to do just a few things daily, weekly, or monthly can add up to heaps of health benefits over the course of your lifetime. With over seven offices in the Roanoke area and additional offices in Wytheville, Blacksburg, and Westlake Corner, Vistar Eye Center’s doctors are accessible and eager to ensure that you always see life’s unique moments. Schedule your next year’s appointment at a convenient location today.