This week is National Eye Health week, all about raising awareness of how to look after your eyes to prevent sight loss. Here are some handy tips you can use to keep your eyes healthy.
Have regular eye checks
Take a trip to the opticians at least once every two years. Even if you have no symptoms, it’s important to get your eyes checked, as the experts may spot something you might have missed. An eye test can also reveal other illnesses not related to sight such as diabetes, high blood pressure, brain tumours and cardiovascular disease.
Quit smoking
So, we’ve all heard that smoking can cause cancer, but did you know it can also cause sight loss? Stub out your cig and don’t light up again. Your eyes will thank you for it.
Stay fit and eat healthy
Whether it’s yoga, Zumba, playing sport or hitting the gym, get your weekly round of exercise in. It will help to keep your eyes healthy. Make sure you eat well too. Get nutrients like omega3 found in oily fish like salmon and sardines, and make sure you eat plenty of fruit and leafy green veg too!
Remove your makeup and contact lenses before bed
Ladies make sure you remove makeup at night and check that your makeup products are in date to prevent getting infection in your eyes. If you wear contact lenses, always take them off every night. Contact lenses left in for a long time can also cause infections in your eyes that could lead to sight loss.
Protect your eyes from the sun
When it’s really sunny, never look directly at the sun and get yourself some snazzy sunglasses to wear. As well as looking cool, they’ll do a great job at protecting your eyes from over exposure to UV and high energy visible (HEV) or blue light.
Get a good night’s sleep
Those night-time Netflix binges might be fun, but it’s costing you valuable beauty sleep. Lack of sleep can start off with minor symptoms like circles under the eyes and puffy eyes, but this can soon lead to eye spasms, and dry itchy blood shot eyes. This can lead to light sensitivity and blurred vision. Left unchecked, these symptoms could lead to developing serious eye conditions like glaucoma. Glaucoma causes too much pressure to build up inside the eye, which could cause sight loss.
If you take any message away from this blog, it’s to go and get your eyes checked today. Find out if you’re entitled to a free NHS eye test here: https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/free-nhs-eye-tests-and-optical-vouchers/
