New Year, Healthy Eyes
- Posted on: Jan 6 2016
As we start off the New Year, many of us are making New Year’s resolutions—promises to better ourselves in 2016. The most popular New Year’s resolution without a doubt is to better our health. And while many take up running or start counting their calories, there are simple things you can do to improve your eye health. Here are my top recommendations for improving your eye health in 2016:
1) Eat Your Way to Good Vision
Protecting your eyes starts with what you put on your plate. To help fight off age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataracts, eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc and vitamins C and E. Those foods include:
Green, leafy vegetables like spinach or kale
Oily fishes like tuna, mackerel, salmon and anchovies
Citrus fruits and berries
Non-meat proteins like eggs, nuts and beans
2) Stop Smoking
If you’re a smoker, make a resolution to quit in 2016 (this will help your overall health, not just your eye health). Smoking makes you more susceptible to cataracts, macular degeneration and optic nerve damage.
3) Wear Sunglasses
The UV rays aren’t just harmful to your skin, but your eyes as well. Too much UV exposure makes you likely to get cataracts or suffer from macular degeneration. Choose sunglasses that block 99-100% of both UVA and UVB rays.
4) Wear Your Safety Eyewear
If you work in a hazardous job or you play sports like ice hockey, racquetball and lacrosse, it’s crucial that you wear your safety eyewear. It just takes one accident to permanently devastate your vision.
5) Take Breaks from Electronics
With a computer in nearly every home and phone in every pocket, many of us have started to suffer from Computer Eye Syndrome. Computer Eye Syndrome can cause eye strain, blurry vision, trouble focusing, dry eyes, headaches, and even neck and shoulder pain. To protect your eyes from Computer Eye Syndrome, use the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, rest your eyes by looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
6) Visit Your Eye Doctor
Last but certainly not least, it is imperative to have eye exams regularly. Appointments with a Cornea Consultants of Albany ophthalmologist or optometrist is really the best way to protect your precious vision. Eye exams can often catch eye diseases that have no symptoms. And if vision problems are caught early, they are much easier to treat.
On behalf of everyone at Cornea Consultants of Albany, I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year!
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