As the demands and responsibilities of modern life increase, and technology decreases the necessity of physical activity, it can certainly become difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Studies continue to prove the countless benefits of living healthfully and actively with a nutritious diet, and preservation of one’s visual health is clearly among them.
Exercise
Healthy eyes require good circulation, and exercise improves blood flow throughout the body. Maintaining a healthy weight also supports visual health, as being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Plus, getting your heart rate up on a regular basis can also reduce stress and improve your mood!
Nutrition
The famous carrot is not the only food that promotes healthy vision! Make an effort to provide your eyes with many plant-based nutrients by incorporating a wide variety of vegetables and fruit in your diet, especially dark leafy greens. Regularly consuming fish, with high omega-3 fatty acid content such as salmon and tuna, is also proven to support visual health.
Eye Exams
Keeping up with annual eye examinations is key to eye disease prevention, detection and treatment. Many serious eye disorders lack symptoms, so ensure that your eyes are healthy by being dilated and examined at a reputable eye care provider regularly.
Protection
Explore the outdoors in sunglasses and protect your eyes from the damages caused by harmful sunlight. Excessive sun exposure can lead to ocular issues including cataracts and macular degeneration. Make sure that your lenses have a complete UV filter, which is extremely important and surprisingly not a universal attribute.
Avoid sight robbing eye injuries by wearing appropriate protective eyewear for common activities such as: sports, pet care, household cleaning, repairs and home improvement projects.
Avoid Smoking
Among the myriad of reasons not to indulge in smoking, protecting ones eye health is a very important one. Smoking is unhealthy for the entire body and has been proven to substantially increase the risk of developing serious eye diseases, such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
Believe it or not- most vision problems are preventable! Make a habit of investing time and energy in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and you will clearly see the benefits throughout the road ahead.