Are you taking good care of your eyes? Protecting your eyes and keeping them healthy depends a lot on you. Here are four great ways to boost your eye health and protect yourself from eye injury and infection:
Schedule regular comprehensive eye exams. Children should have their first eye exam at six months of age, and most teenagers and adults should have an eye exam at least once every 1-2 years. Comprehensive exams (as opposed to vision screenings done during physicals and at schools) can help to detect eye problems early when they are the most treatable. If your eyes are bothering you, it’s critical to have them examined by an eye care professional.
If you have vision insurance, comprehensive eye exams may be a covered benefit as frequently as once a year. Take advantage of that benefit by scheduling your exam today! Our phone number is (801) 476-0494.
Wear eye protection. As much as 90 percent of sports-related injuries affect the eyes. You can protect yourself from injury by wearing eye protection appropriate for the sport you’re participating in. Wear sunglasses when you’re outside and goggles in the winter if you’re skiing, sledding or snowboarding. Eye injuries can happen at work, too. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that about 2,000 U.S. workers each day sustain job-related eye injuries that require medical treatment. It’s estimated that proper eye protection can help prevent many on-the-job and sports-related eye injuries. Eye protection also should be worn when using chemicals and power tools such as drills or chainsaws.
Wash your face at bedtime. Makeup, if left on overnight, can be harmful to your eyes. Instead of sleeping with your makeup on, remove it by washing your face every morning and night. If you wear contacts, follow all recommendations and rules regarding when and how you wear them. Getting enough sleep is important for eye health, too.
Talk to us. A healthy diet can go a long way to helping your eyes stay healthy. But some research also suggests that supplements could boost eye health as well. For example, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study conducted by the National Eye Institute showed that antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene may help reduce the risk of vision loss from advanced age-related macular degeneration in some, but not all, people with this disease. We can talk to you about supplements and help with conditions such as dry and itchy eyes.
Talk to us about eye health at your next eye exam or checkup. We’re here to answer your questions!
Most of us start to notice changes in our vision after the age of 40. At first, you may need to have anything you’re trying to read farther away to see the words clearly. Or you may need to remove your glasses to see better up close. Print in the newspaper or on a restaurant menu may seem blurry, especially under dim lighting. Most of the time, these are just typical changes in the eye’s focusing ability, called presbyopia. It’s a condition that appears and progresses as we get older. You may also notice that your eyes are drier and/or you see ‘floaters’ or ‘flashers,” small shapes or flashes of light that appear in your field of vision.