Maintaining Your Eye Health
Angela Rogers
January 11, 2008
We depend on our eyes throughout so much throughout our lives. Our vision allows to watch television, drive, or simply appreciate the beautiful sights that surround us. Outside of an annual vision screening, we do not often think about how to properly take care of them.
Vision screenings spot problems such as near sightedness, far sightedness, glaucoma or the early signs of cataracts, but there are more things we can do to maintain good eye health throughout our life than just go to eye doctor appointments. A healthy diet keeps the body in good health over all, but eating a good variety of foods that are rich in Vitamin A help keep our sight strong throughout our lives. (Carrots are a favorite for this, but they are by no means the only food that contain a good amount of this mineral that is essential to eye health.)
If you wear contact lenses, remember to take the lenses out after twelve hours of use. Leaving them in longer can irritate and dry out the eye and just as bad can damage the contacts, making an expensive replacement necessary. Because contacts also dry out the eyes, contact wearers must use eye drops to maintain the appropriate level of moisture in the eye. Which brand does not matter as much as picking a brand that works for you.
But much like a regular doctor check up is required to maintain good overall health, an annual vision check-up will spot any potential problems about to occur. (Optometrists can also spot other diseases which can be seen through the eye like diabetes and if necessary make a referral to another general practitioner or specialists for treatment.) The screenings will also let the eye doctor know if changes need to be made in your prescription for your glasses or contact health.
Long term exposure to the sun can hurt the eyes as much as it can hurt the skin. Wear sun glasses on bright sunny days in the summer and on winter days when snow blankets the ground and increases the glare of the light.
Your eyes will likely supply you with a wide array of images throughout your life time, show you life's precious moments and provide warnings of potential danger, but they can only do so if they are properly cared for. And it may seem like common sense to not do this, but remember to keep sharp objects away from your eyes.
Vision screenings spot problems such as near sightedness, far sightedness, glaucoma or the early signs of cataracts, but there are more things we can do to maintain good eye health throughout our life than just go to eye doctor appointments. A healthy diet keeps the body in good health over all, but eating a good variety of foods that are rich in Vitamin A help keep our sight strong throughout our lives. (Carrots are a favorite for this, but they are by no means the only food that contain a good amount of this mineral that is essential to eye health.)
If you wear contact lenses, remember to take the lenses out after twelve hours of use. Leaving them in longer can irritate and dry out the eye and just as bad can damage the contacts, making an expensive replacement necessary. Because contacts also dry out the eyes, contact wearers must use eye drops to maintain the appropriate level of moisture in the eye. Which brand does not matter as much as picking a brand that works for you.
But much like a regular doctor check up is required to maintain good overall health, an annual vision check-up will spot any potential problems about to occur. (Optometrists can also spot other diseases which can be seen through the eye like diabetes and if necessary make a referral to another general practitioner or specialists for treatment.) The screenings will also let the eye doctor know if changes need to be made in your prescription for your glasses or contact health.
Long term exposure to the sun can hurt the eyes as much as it can hurt the skin. Wear sun glasses on bright sunny days in the summer and on winter days when snow blankets the ground and increases the glare of the light.
Your eyes will likely supply you with a wide array of images throughout your life time, show you life's precious moments and provide warnings of potential danger, but they can only do so if they are properly cared for. And it may seem like common sense to not do this, but remember to keep sharp objects away from your eyes.
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