Eye health is about more than the ability to see. It is also about maintaining a healthy pressure inside your eye. It's about making sure issues like ocular cancer are detected early so they can be treated. You rely on your eyes almost every minute of every day, so of course you want to take eye health seriously — every aspect of it. You can learn more about the breadth of eye care and the work of optometrists on this blog. Reading here is not a replacement for seeing your optometrist, but it can be a good way to boost your knowledge.
There are a lot of eye conditions that aren't preventable. However, there are also some that can be prevented by properly caring for your health and your eyes. This article will focus on some of the eye conditions that it is possible to prevent with proper attention and eye care.
Eat a proper diet
When you don't eat a healthy diet, you aren't giving all of your systems what they need to remain healthy and this includes your eyes. You want to make sure you eat a good diet that gives your body all of the minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that it needs.
If you struggle with knowing how to eat in a very healthy manner, then you can go to a nutritionist who will help you to come up with a proper eating plan you and your family should follow. Also, an optometrist will be able to guide you in the right direction when it comes to learning more about the best nutrients for your eyes and which foods offer them to you.
Always wear sunglasses outside
It's not only important to make sure you are wearing sunglasses on a bright day, but also on the overcast ones. Just as you can still get sunburnt on an overcast day, your eyes can also be damaged.
If you wear prescription glasses, then you can get ones that have built-in UV protection and they will get darker as you subject them to brighter light. This takes away the need for you to forego your prescription glasses for sunglasses and the need for two different types of prescription glasses, one being sunglasses and one not.
Your optometrist can give you the proper prescription for your needs and you can purchase the right glasses that have sun protection from them or through someone else if you choose. If you don't need glasses then always get sunglasses with good UV protection.
Always wear eye protection when necessary
Any time you are going to be in a space where particles can be in the air that can injure your eyes, you are going to want to wear the appropriate eye protection. Areas where someone is grinding materials like tile, sanding wood, or painting would be areas where you should wear your safety goggles. Should you get anything in your eye, it's important to see the optometrist to ensure your cornea isn't damaged.
Always make it to your routine eye exams
Going to your routine eye exams is one of your best lines of defense against eye problems. The sooner things are caught, the better your prognosis will be. The length of time you should go between eye exams if your eyes are healthy will depend on your age and it can vary from seeing the optometrist once a year to seeing them once every five years. Your optometrist will let you know when they want you in next and you want to follow that.
To learn more, contact an eye care service in your area.