Your eyesight and vision are meant to last a lifetime, but don’t take them for granted. In this article, we take you through all the steps and precautions you can take to maintain healthy eyes and good vision.
#1. Balanced Diet
As with most aspects of your health, good vision also depends on a balanced diet. Your diet must include the following components.
- Antioxidants: You must consume foods with lots of antioxidants, such as vitamins A and C. The lack of antioxidants may lead to free-radical reactions that affect the macula, i.e., the center of the retina. As such, consuming foods with vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, zinc, and lutein can help avoid problems like macular degeneration and cataracts, both of which lead to impaired vision.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: You should also increase the consumption of foods with omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish and salmon. Fatty acids ensure macular health, keeping your vision healthy and strong.
- Low Fat Consumption: You should limit the consumption of high-fat foods and alcohol because they lead to deposits that restrict healthy blood flow in your arteries, thus impairing vision. Lowering fat consumption also helps maintain healthy weight and prevent obesity, which, in turn, helps you avoid type-2 diabetes, a leading cause of blindness.
Now, you may wonder where you can get all of these nutrients and vitamins. Well, you can fill your plate with the following foods:
- Lots of green leafy vegetables, such as kale and spinach.
- Oily fish, such as salmon and tuna.
- Non-meat proteins, such as eggs, beans, and nuts.
- Oysters.
- Pork.
- Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, etc.
#2. Exercise Regularly
You should exercise regularly, especially cardiovascular exercises that facilitate blood circulation, such as running, cycling, swimming, etc. These exercises improve blood circulation, thus improving oxygen levels in your eyes.
#3. Protect Your Eyes from Screens
One of the leading causes of weak eyesight is our reliance on digital screens, including television screens, computer screens, smartphones, tablets, etc. Most of us spend several hours with these devices.
All of these devices expose our eyes to blue energy, i.e., light with wavelengths in the bluer part of the light spectrum. Staring at digital screens emitting blue light for too long leads to eyestrain, blurry vision, dryness of eyes, headaches, and inability to focus your vision.
While you can’t stop using computer screens altogether, you can take the following precautions:
- Wear contacts or glasses with the correct prescription.
- If the screens strain your vision, talk to a doctor about computer glasses.
- Keep the computer screen about 20”-24″ from your eyes.
- Ensure that the top of the computer screen is just below your eye level.
- Adjust the computer’s settings to minimize glare.
- Position the screen to avoid glare from lights and windows.
- Blink often while staring at screens.
- Take regular breaks to look at objects in the distance.
- If you have irritated or dry eyes, use lubricating eye drops.
#4. Protect Your Eyes from the Sun
Excessive exposure to direct sunlight or UV light increases the risk of cataracts or macular degeneration, both of which impair your vision. You should try limiting exposure to direct sunlight.
If that’s impossible, wear sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of the UV rays. You can also wear wrap-around glasses to prevent exposure to sunlight from the sides. If you wear contacts, get contacts with UV protection or wear an additional layer of sunglasses.
