Candice Williamson
The best medical advice has always been prevention over cure. You are safer taking steps to protect your health than relying on treatment for remedy. Yes, the condition may heal with proper treatment, but you are never the same again. If you let your eyesight deteriorate, you will have glasses or contact lenses for life. However, proper preventive care can keep your eyesight healthy right into your old age, and here we show you how.
Wear Sunglasses or Protective Eyewear to Protect Your Eyesight
Frequent exposure to high levels of ultraviolet (UV) light is harmful to your eyes in the long run. The cornea is susceptible to UV sun rays and can suffer irreversible damage if exposed for too long. The skin around the eyes is equally delicate and can develop cancer from persistent UV exposure.
If you work in areas that use UV radiation lasers, you are at the same risk of adverse exposure. Workers in laboratories handling chemicals and bodily fluids are also at risk of accidental splashes into the eyes. Workshops are unsafe as they have airborne metal and wood particles that can cause eye injury.
So, how do you protect your eyesight in these hazardous environments? When out in the sun, always wear good quality sunglasses that can filter both UVA and UVB light. Consider wearing protective goggles or face shields in workshops and labs to keep your eyes safe. You can order these products online and get next-day prescription glasses delivered easily. That’s comfort and savings combined.
What You Eat Affects How You See
To keep your eyesight sharp, you must protect the macula and lens from degeneration. The eye lens lacking proper nutrients may develop cataracts – those cloudy patches that impair vision. The retina has been shown to contain many free radicals that cause damage to proteins and DNA in cells.
Free radicals cause high oxidative stress to the macula, adversely affecting its pigment density. These pigments in the right densities absorb excess blue and ultraviolet light to counter free radicals. The eye requires antioxidants to neutralize free radicals and protect your retina from mitigating this condition.
This is where what you eat affects how you see and the quality of your sight. Certain foods are naturally endowed with vitamins A, C, and E that contain significant antioxidants. Foods such as carrots, citrus, sweet potato, spinach, broccoli, red peppers, and strawberries are rich in vitamins and zinc minerals good for eyesight.
Smoking Is Harmful to Your Eyesight
Do not smoke yourself into blindness – quit smoking. On the outside, smoking leads to puffiness under the eyes and causes irritation, inflammation, and yellow eyes from contact with cigarette smoke. Nicotine toxins in the blood cause far worse internal eye problems that can cause blindness if neglected.
Smoking increases the risk of cataracts that lead to blurred and opaque vision and an escalating dry eye disorder. Smoking can also worsen the condition of patients with thyroid orbitopathy or bulging eyes. Seniors and diabetics who smoke expose their eyes to accelerated age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Tobacco smoke contains toxins harmful to the human body. Once in the bloodstream, these harmful toxins spread throughout the body, including the eyes causing damage. Quit smoking to protect and improve your eyesight for a better life experience.
Control Screen Exposure
Extended screen time causes eye strain, and exposure to excessive blue light is harmful to the retina. The movements on the screen require higher focus effort that leads to less blinking and eye strain. The cumulative effect of screen light, focus strain, and lack of regular blinks eventually stacks up to affect eyesight, especially children.
Excessive screen time may cause eye fatigue leading to double vision, headaches, and dry and irritated eyes. The screen also affects focus flexibility and reduces the ability to see at multiple distances instantaneously, leading to nearsightedness. These digital devices emit blue light harmful to the light-sensitive retina cells leading to early AMD in children.
Protect your eyesight by adjusting screen lighting and reducing glare to blend with room lighting for eye comfort. Consider using blue light filters to protect your retina and keep your eyes moist with artificial tears for lubrication. Take a break from the screen every 20 minutes and focus on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Watch Your Blood Sugar
Blurred vision is the leading symptom of high blood sugar and, if not regulated, can permanently impair eyesight. Unless you have diabetes, this is only temporary, and you will regain clear vision when sugar levels normalize. However, you may need to visit a physician to determine your natural blood sugar range and strive to keep within it.
If you have diabetes, you are at a higher risk of suffering eyesight impairment. Take control of your blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol to protect your eyesight. Change your diet, regular exercise, and go for checkups.
