Protect Your Eyes: 5 Everyday Steps to Improve Eye Health

We exercise regularly, eat our fruits and vegetables, and drink gallons of water all in the name of good health. But what can we do to protect one of our most valuable organs – our eyes?

April is National Women's Vision Health Month, which is a good reminder not to take eye health for granted. Luckily, there are many things you can do each day to keep your eyes healthy and make sure you’re seeing your very best. Here’s some tips for how to improve eyesight.

Eat right to protect your sight. Protecting your eyes starts with the food on your plate. You’ve heard carrots are good for your eyes, but eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens is important too. Remember if you can’t get your full servings of fruits and veggies every day, Juice Plus+ is the next best thing to get needed nutrition from fruits and vegetables. Research has also shown there are eye health benefits from eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut.

Give your eyes a rest.  If you spend a lot of time in front of the computer, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. To help with eye fatigue, try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This can help reduce eyestrain, dry eyes, headaches and blurry vision. Here are a few more tips to help reduce the impact of computer eyestrain:

•        Keep your computer screen within 20"-24" of your eyes

•        Keep the top of your computer screen slightly below eye level

•        Adjust lighting to minimize glare on the screen

Wear your shades. Sunglasses are a great fashion accessory, but their most important job is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Too much UV exposure may increase your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. When choosing sunglasses, look for ones that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays.  

Know your family’s eye health history. Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It’s important to know if any eye health problems run in your family, since many are hereditary. Be sure your optometrist is aware of any general family health problems as well, so he/she can properly take the right course of action during your eye exam.

Get your goggles on. You don’t have to work on a factory floor to sustain an on-the-job injury. Of the 2.5 million eye injuries that Americans suffer annually, nearly half happen at home. Make sure you wear safety eyewear not just around power tools, but also for things like yard work, basic home repairs and certain cleaning jobs. And don’t forget about your little ones. Ensure your children wear helmets with protective eye masks or sports goggles whenever they play sports.

Protecting your vision is crucial to live a healthy, quality life. How do you keep your eyes healthy? Share your tips below!

Sources:

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20680738,00.html

http://www.nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/eyehealthtips.asp