We have hands to feel, a nose to smell, ears to hear, but our eyes are one of our most important parts. Without vision, life becomes dark and difficult. That means eye care should be on the top of your priority list, so check out all the great expert advice below.
Avoid touching your eyes with your hand during the day if you had not washed your hands. When you are on the job or in school, your hands are in contact with surfaces that are full of bacteria. If you touch your eyes, you will transfer the bacteria to your eyes and raise the risk if an eye infection.
Eat a healthy diet to help take care of your eyes. Certain foods, particularly those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids can help protect your eyes as you age. Aim for green leafy vegetables, “oily” fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and citrus foods for best results.
Eat foods that are known to promote good eye health. This includes a variety of leafy green vegetables, such as collards, kale and spinach. Citrus fruits provide vitamin C, which can help to maintain your eyesight. In addition, protein sources such as beans, eggs, and lentils can prove beneficial to your eyes.
If you wear contacts, you must follow your eye doctor’s instruction carefully. If your eyes feel irritated when you put them on, that can mean that your contact lenses are damaged. Another reason could be an eye problem that is beginning to form. See your eyecare professional right away to prevent a more serious problem.
Make sure you get your eyes regularly checked. Obviously, if you think there is something wrong with your eyes, you should go in right away. However, even if you think you are fine, you need to be checked out. Some issues are not obvious, even to the sufferer. That is why you need to visit the optometrist regularly. Some of these eye conditions can be remedied if they are treated early enough.
If you are planning on staying outside for a long period of time, wear a baseball hat or visor. This can prevent the sun’s harmful rays from impacting your eyes and can reduce any irritation that you feel. Additionally, your eyes will become less dry if you block the sun from entering in.
Prolonged exposure to computer screens can have a damaging affect on your eyes. If you feel like your eyes are drying out, try to blink more frequently. It is also important to cut back on screen glare. If you need to, get a screen that is equipped with an anti-glare feature. Lastly, it is important that your eyes are positioned so the top part of the screen is level. Your eyes should look down the screen.
Drink anywhere between eight to ten full glasses of water as the day wears on. Water can help to flush the toxins out of your system, which is beneficial in keeping your eyes healthy and moist. Additionally, drinks that contain high sugar content and alcohol can dry your body out and cause excess inflammation.
Always wear proper eye protection. Every year, thousands of people end up blinded due to improper protection gear at work. Whenever you are working with chemicals or machinery that can cause small debris to fly, protect your eyes. A simple set of protective glasses can mean the difference between seeing and being blind.
Know your history. If your parents or grandparents had trouble with their eyes, chances are you will too. Make an effort to get checkups at the eye doctor more often, to ensure that no problems have developed. And, if you are diagnosed with anything, make sure your family members know about it.
While sunglasses are helpful for protecting your eyes from the sun’s UV rays, it may also be wise to wear a wide-brimmed hat. Wearing this kind of hat prevents any UV rays from reaching your whole face, including your eyes. So, if you know you will be outdoors for a long period of time, wear this kind of hat.
Try to get eight hours of sleep at night. Sleep helps to restore your body and keeps you feeling fresh and energetic, which will reduce the redness in your eyes and keep you healthy. Staying awake will also strain your eyes, which will constrict the blood vessels too often, causing inflammation.
Exercise is good for your eyes and can help you focus more clearly. An easy and effective exercise is to focus 30 seconds on an object that is far away, and then focus on an object that is near for 30 seconds. Close your eyes and rest for 10 seconds before repeating the exercise.
Visit your eye doctor on a regular basis. It is important to get your eye’s checked for their health and for your vision. If you are straining to see because your vision isn’t good or your glasses or contacts don’t help like they should, you can cause permanent damage.
Practice good makeup hygiene. Makeup worn on and around the eyes, particularly mascara, can be a breeding ground for bacteria. If you want to ensure that your eyes stay clear and free from infection, take a few precautions. Mascara should be tossed after three months. In addition, avoid putting liner inside of the eyelash. This can block the oil glands necessary to keep your eyes protected.
Try not to read in the dark or in a dimly lit area. You can strain your eyes when you are trying to read without enough light. Your eyes are already working hard to do the actual reading, so the additional strain of adjusting to the lack of light can overwork them. This can also lead to fatigue and headaches. Make sure the area where you are reading is properly lit.
With so much advice here on caring for your eyes, you know that you have a great knowledge of the topic now. While knowing a lot is great, using that knowledge is key. Be sure to start implementing these ideas one by one so that you can keep your eyes healthy and happy.
Be careful not to use over-the-counter eye drops too often. There is even a warning on the bottles about it. It is okay to use them if you have dry or itchy eyes, but using them too often can cause extreme redness, blurry vision, or other eye issues. If you are having constant eye problems, try talking to your eye doctor.
If you wear contacts, you must follow your eye doctor’s instruction carefully. If your eyes feel irritated when you put them on, that can mean that your contact lenses are damaged. Another reason could be an eye problem that is beginning to form. See your eyecare professional right away to prevent a more serious problem.
Choose a thick, dense eye creme to ensure the skin around your eyes stays taught and firm. Make sure the product you choose includes essential fatty acids as they are a necessity for your most delicate skin. If you are a teen, the time is now to start, but even adults can benefit from starting later.
You should quit smoking to better care for your eyes. It may sound silly, but smoking can negatively impact your eyes. It can increase your risks of developing cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. These issues can cause cause you to lose your sight, so it is worth the effort to quit.
When working on documents, computers or anything else that causes eye strain, take short breaks to walk around. By walking around, you not only re-energize yourself, but also increase your blood flow. This will help your eyes as they get more blood and oxygen and diminish the strain they are enduring.