Do you know how to protect your eyes as you age? When was your last eye examination? You now have a wake up call if the eye doctor hasn’t seen you lately.
Avoid touching your eyes with your hand during the day if you had not washed your hands. When you are on the job or in school, your hands are in contact with surfaces that are full of bacteria. If you touch your eyes, you will transfer the bacteria to your eyes and raise the risk if an eye infection.
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.
Keep your eyes protected from the sun. You should wear quality sunglasses to protect them from UV rays. If your eyes are frequently exposed to UVB rays, your risks for macular degeneration and cataracts increase. Try picking a pair of sunglasses that block between 99 and 100 percent of UVB and UVA rays.
What you eat is very important to the health of your eyes. A diet that is rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids are helpful to good eyesight. Many vegetables like carrots and broccoli are rich in vitamin A. Fish and nuts can provide you with the omega-3 that you need.
When it comes to puffy eyes, there is a quick and easy solution which can literally cure you of the problem. Stop eating salt! The more salt you eat, the more water you retain, and that will become visible around your eyes. Reduce your sodium and your puffiness will disappear.
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.
To diminish puffy eyes, use slices of raw potato. Cut the potato into half circles and place over your closed eyes. If you prefer, you can grate the potato and place in some Muslin cloth, then squeeze excess liquid out and place on closed eyes. Leave either on for 15-20 minutes for best effect.
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.
Make sure to have your eyes looked at regularly. Many people, particularly if they do not wear glasses or contacts, have not been to the eye doctor in years. You should go at least once in your 20s and at least twice in your 30s to make sure everything is on track. Once you hit forty, try and visit the eye doctor every three years or so. And, when you reach age 65, you should go every other year.
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.
To improve the long-term health of your eyes, quit smoking today. Smoking leads to a variety of eyesight problems. If you quit once but restarted, quit again. Keep trying to quit until you actually do it for good.
People who have allergies often have red and itchy eyes. Be careful to avoid rubbing them because that will only make the problem worse. If you have seasonal allergies you can take medication to prevent the symptoms, and you can also use allergen-reducing eye drops. Make sure to follow the directions for the eye drops to avoid future problems.
If you are a smoker, do what you can to quit. Smoking harms your blood vessels, and that includes the ones in the eyes. That’s not all, smoking also damages your optic nerve and can cause cataracts. Always keep your eyes open for ways to reduce your smoking and eventually quit.
Eat plenty of greens. When it comes to eye health, carrots are often touted as the vegetable of choice. While it is true that carrots are high in Vitamin A, they are not the only vegetable that can help with vision. Studies show that lutein and zeaxanthin, found in dark leafy greens such as spinach can help improve vision even more.
Be careful with computer use. If you use a computer a lot, you could be damaging your eyes. Make sure that you take a break from looking at the screen every half-hour. You can also be sure to position yourself so that you are looking down to see the monitor. These simple steps will help preserve your eyes.
Poor eye health can be a result of a variety of different situations. You should know how to properly care for your eyes. Now that you’ve read this article, you know how to take care of your eyes.
