Eye care is a very intricate and detailed field. Your eyes are in other words very delicate, and proper eye care is very important. Since you know this, it’s very important that you pay attention to the following information about how you should be approaching eye care on a daily basis.
Always wash your hands before you touch your eyes. Your fingers are covered with bacteria because your hands touch surfaces that other people have touched. If you touch your eyes without washing your hands, you will transfer bacteria to your eyes and cause irritation or even an infection. Therefore, before touching your eyes, wash your hands with soap and water.
Eat a healthy diet to help take care of your eyes. Certain foods, particularly those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids can help protect your eyes as you age. Aim for green leafy vegetables, “oily” fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and citrus foods for best results.
If you’re going out into strong sunshine for any length of time, make sure you wear a hat with a wide brim. Although sunglasses do protect your eyes to a certain extent, a hat will keep the sun out of them completely. Your eyelids can be particularly vulnerable to melanoma, something that you can avoid simply by sporting a hat.
If you work for long periods of time on a computer, protect your eyes by taking frequent breaks. You might have noticed that your eyes often feel strained, tired and itchy during regular working hours. This is probably a good indication that you’re over working them. Get up and stretch for a few minutes, offering your eyes some time away from the screen.
If you are a smoker, stop now. Even though you may be aware of the potential damage to your lungs, your eyes are suffering, also. Eye disease is more common among smokers. When you quit smoking, you drastically reduce your chances of developing certain eye diseases.
If you suffer with red puffy eyes a lot, consider reducing your sodium intake. Unfortunately, the salt we enjoy on our food isn’t all that good for our bodies, including the eyes. Try switching to sea salt instead, or using other herb and spice mixtures that contain no sodium at all. Your eyes should improve quickly.
If you regularly wear contacts, keep a pair of backup prescription eye glasses. When experiencing irritation in the eye, you should remove the contact and wear a pair of prescription eye glasses. Keeping a contact lens in your eye while the eye is irritated can turn this seemingly small problem into something much larger, such as corneal ulcer.
Wear sunglasses to protect your vision. Even when it’s cloudy, the UV rays can harm your eyes and skin. UV protection is always important when picking sunglasses. The extra cost is worth the benefits.
Don’t smoke. Along with other things, smoking can really damage your eyes. It can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. Not only that, but it is harmful in other ways to other areas of your body. If you are having a hard time quitting smoking, keep trying, it will be worth it when you are successful.
Always have some saline solution at home. It’s easy to protect your eyes if you wear goggles. However, most people aren’t going to wear goggles when they’re just cleaning around the home. Many cleaning solutions can cause eye damage.
Remember to replace your contact lenses at least once every three months. Two months is actually a much better target, or even one month. Many people forget to replace their contacts as frequently as they should, which later leads to more serious problems in the eyes, such as irritation, ulcers, or infections.
Enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning. If you’re looking for another excuse to drink coffee in the morning, then you’ve found one. Studies have shown that drinking one or two cups of coffee each morning can actually help replenish tears that help keep eyes moist. Keep the limit at two cups or you’ll do more damage than good.
Keep in mind that having eye issues may be inevitable for some. Many eye conditions are hereditary. You can take great care of your eyes and still have major issues. If you have family member with eye problems, you may want to talk to them about which issues run in the family. You can bring up these conditions to your optometrist so that they can watch for the early signs.
Always wear sunglasses outdoors. Many people mistakenly believe that sunglasses are only for days out at the beach or if the sun is particularly glaring. The truth is that UV rays are harmful to eyes. They can cause eye cancer, corneal burns, and even cataracts. Whenever you will be outside, grab a pair of sunglasses.
While sunglasses look good, they also provide great benefit to your eyes. Sunglasses can keep your from squinting or otherwise damaging your eye with the sun’s rays. If you wear prescription eyeglasses, you can get Transitions lenses and/or prescription sunglasses.
Eat foods that promote good eye health. Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins E and C, as well as foods that contain lutein, are excellent choices. Some foods that contain those substances are wild salmon, citrus fruits, tomatoes and green leafy vegetables. Have these foods every day so that your eyes continue to be healthy.
If you take the steps you should be taking to work towards proper eye care, then you’re going to be in a much better position. Think about what this means for you and how important it truly is to make the changes. Don’t ignore such a vital aspect of life; instead, work towards eye health today!
