One of the hardest things about leaving your optometrist after an eye test is knowing what to do next. Indeed, they prescribed glasses and you have fantastic vision. But what can be done to make sure your vision doesn’t get worse? Ultimately, we want to know what is best for our eyes and that of our families. Read this essential guide to learn more.

It is without argument that our eye sight and vision is the most important sense. There wouldn’t be many people who would choose hearing over sight right? In fact, 80% of a child’s learning in their early years is through sight. It is important for their educational and social development. For these reasons, we need to look after our precious gift of sight.

Nine essential tips for the health of your eyes.

Eating Healthy

Studies have shown that dark green leafy vegetables are important for your eyes. They contain essential nutrients such as zeaxathan, lutein and selenium. Foods such as kale, spinach and silverbeet all contain these. We also know that colourful fruits and vegetables are essential for eye health for their antioxidative properties. Healthy oils such as fish oils and tree nuts have also been found to boost eye health and prevent dry eyes.

UV Protection

The sun can be extremely harsh to our eyes. Our eye lids are 10 times more sensitive to UV light and can develop skin cancers much more readily than body skin. Good sun glasses not only help you look great, but also prevents your eyes and skin from harmful sun damage.

Stop Smoking

We all know smoking is bad for us. Smoking does damage to blood circulation and small blood flow within the body, of which our eyes are full of. The damage from smoking can lead to macular degeneration. While it may be difficult to quit cold turkey, the first step would be to reduce the number of cigarettes per day. Lastly, consider alternative hobbies to kick that habit.

Good Lighting

Avoid straining your eyes under low lighting condition. Eye fatigue from straining can cause eye pain and headaches, even leading to migraines. Good even lighting means your work is well illuminated with no glare sources in your face.

Wear Eye Protection

You never know when an accident will happen. In the blink of an eye serious eye damage and vision loss could occur instantly. This is especially true in young males working at home. High speed tool usage, hammering, chiseling or just plain gardening are all scenarios that protection is important. Visit your local hardware store for eye protection or your optometrist for prescription safety glasses.

Regular Breaks

Sometimes it can be hard to put down a great book. Whether you’re stuck into the latest novel or glued to your computer screen reading the latest blog posts, don’t let your eyes suffer for it. Continuous near viewing strains the eye muscles and can lead to eye pain or headaches. Use the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at least 20 feet into the distance for at least 20 seconds.

Tackle Dry Eyes

Dry eyes can be the bane of our existence. Even more so when combined with extended periods of reading or computer usage. Concentrated viewing has been shown to reduce eye blinking rates by half, leading to dry eyes. This is further worsened when working in air-conditioned environments. You may not be able to turn off the climate control in your office, but you can use tear supplements. Fish oils are known to be beneficial if you want to avoid using eye drops.

Be Vigilant

Because we have two eyes, often we may not notice deterioration of vision in one eye. It can be useful to cover your eyes alternately to check for vision changes. Any changes like flashes of lights or black spots and floaters over your vision should also be checked. Keeping in mind early detection of eye disease can be vital in some conditions.

Regular Eye Health Checks

When is the last time you visited your optometrist? If you can’t remember, a quick reminder is that your eyes should be tested every year or two. Book an appointment with a specialist optometrist for your next eye test. An optometrist should be able to use the latest equipment for eye testing to ensure your eyes stay healthy.