Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Should You Be Taking Better Care of Your Vision? #healthy2020 #eyehealth #protectyourvision #vision

My Healthy 2020 initiative is looking a vision health today. You only have one set of eyes, so it's imperative that you take good care of them. Today, The Weekend Gourmet correspondent is sharing a trio of great tips to help boost your eye health and vision. This post may contain affiliate links.
Image via Pexels - CC0 Licence

Our eyes are undoubtedly one of the most precious things we have. Being able to see the world clearly is something we often take for granted, yet vision loss is a significant problem that can have a fundamental impact on our lives. A lot of us can be quite dismissive of our eye health, brushing aside small problems and choosing to squint or suffer headaches and a loss of concentration rather than book an appointment for an eye test. Perhaps we do this because eye problems are easier to ignore than issues with your teeth. However, issues with your vision can be alleviated or averted if you continuously look after your eye health. There are a number of simple daily steps you can take to care for your vision and treat it like the valuable asset it is. The good news is that most of these steps are very simple habits to incorporate into your life.

Don’t Rub Your Eyes
From the first moment we wake up in the morning, many of us instinctively rub our eyes as an unthinking reflex -- and we typically repeat this action frequently throughout the day. If you think about it, our hands are exposed to an awful lot of bacteria, germs, dirt, and dust. The eyes are a vulnerable area on the body where illnesses ranging from the common cold to the current global coronavirus scare can enter the body, so it pays to be cautious about touching your eyes. You van guard against eye infection and irritation by training yourself not to touch your eyes. If you absolutely have to rub your eyes, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water first.

Protect Against the Sun
You may be good at remembering to apply a high-factor sunscreen when it's hot outside, but you also need to apply the same level of care to your eyes. Exposure to strong UV rays is just as bad for eye health as it is for other health issues like melanoma. Exposure to strong UV rays puts you at higher risk of macular degeneration as you age, and it can cause conditions like photokeratitis. Luckily, finding a pair of good quality sunglasses and adding a hat or visor so you don’t squint is easy. You can also opt for progressive lenses if you already wear glasses. That way, you don’t have to worry about switching between your glasses and your sunglasses.

Take Regular Screen Breaks
More than ever, we're working with computer screens...and we're increasingly spending our spare time using smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The result is a lot of strain on our eyes. Balance this out by following guidelines to increase the contrast of your screens to reduce strain on the eye. You should also use the ‘20-20-20 rule’: every 20 minutes, set a reminder to look away from your computer screen; then, refocus your gaze on an object that is 20 feet away from you. Then blink rapidly 20 times to prevent dry eyes. You can also try taking 20 steps away from the computer to promote good circulation. The effects of a sedentary lifestyle can be far reaching, so make sure you're getting up and moving around on a regular basis to benefit your overall health and your vision.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I love hearing your feedback!!!