We’re all aware of the importance of attending regular eye tests to find out if we need glasses but it’s also important to visit an optometrist every couple of years in order for them to check the overall health of the eye. Opticians can detect the early onset of a range of conditions including glaucoma, and they can advise you on taking the correct precautions to help to maintain the long term health of your eye.
Of course, there are other ways of looking after your eyes. It may seem obvious, but many eye conditions are as a result of a lack of protection. If you work in an environment where you are exposed to harmful chemicals or perhaps you carry out a lot of DIY such as woodwork, then you may be more at risk of getting a foreign object in your eye. Most accidents such as this will be need to be treated in an A&E department, but you can minimise the risk by wearing protective eye goggles.
Eat a healthy diet. We usually associate healthy eating with losing weight or keeping blood cholesterol under control, but it’s also important to eat a diet rich in omega-3, zinc and vitamin C and vitamin E in order to help to prevent a range of eye diseases. If you eat a diet rich in foods such as green leafy vegetables, oily fish, citrus fruits and eggs then you’ll be helping to eat your way to preventing cataracts and muscular degeneration.
On sunny days, wear some sunglasses. Sunglasses can not only help you to look good, but they can also help to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Cheap fashion sunglasses may not contain any UV filters in the lenses, so it’s important to wear a pair of sunglasses which block 99% of the sun’s UVA and UVB rays in order to give your eyes maximum protection.
Many of us also spend a lot of time looking at a computer screen on a daily basis, so taking regular breaks can help to avoid eye strain. Make sure you blink on a regular basis in order to prevent the eyes from drying out.
Here at Tiger Specs we encourage all of our customers to attend regular visits to the opticians to take good care of their eyes. If you require reading glasses but you’re not sure which lens strength would be most suitable for you, then feel free to test yourself using our free eye chart.