While we enjoy healthy eyesight and the blessings of this natural gift, we tend to take it for granted and seldom adopt healthy practices that ensure we continue to reap the benefits. If you do not want to depend upon eye ware and powered lenses for the rest of your life, adopt these 5 techniques to ensure that doesn’t happen. Work to protect your sight now.

Foods for Good Vision

The health of your eyes largely depends on the kind of foods you eat. There are certain nutrients that are very essential for a healthy vision and overall health of your eyes. Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, lutein are great for eyes. Various studies have also confirmed that vitamins C and E are known to help avert age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataract. Below is a quick list of foods which if eaten regularly promote good eye health:

  •       Green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collard
  •       Salmon, tuna, and other forms of oily fish
  •       Nuts, eggs, beans, and other non-meat protein sources
  •       Citrus fruits such as oranges and other fruit juices

While illnesses of any kind do take a toll on different areas of our body, eyes don’t escape the wrath either. Problems related to obesity such as the type 2 diabetes tend to worsen the condition of eyes. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults.

Smoking as a Reason for Bad Eyesight

Smoking is a habit that’s makes your eyes prone to problems like cataract, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration. If you’ve attempted to quit smoking before and started smoking again, it is important that you keep trying. The more times you try to quit smoking, the more probable it becomes for you to succeed.

Sunglasses for Eye Protection

To make sure your eyes get the best protection form the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, it is important to use the right kind of sunglasses that will help you avoid UV exposure. Prefer sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays. Also, if you wear contact lenses that may be offering eye protection, it’s still a good idea to wear sunglasses for more protection.

Importance of Safety Eyewear

For people working with hazardous or airborne materials it is all the more important to wear safety glasses or protective lenses. Certain forms of sports like hockey and lacrosse can also cause eye injury among players. Therefore, it is important to be careful and to wear eye gear such as helmets fitted with protective face masks and goggles with polycarbonate lenses while indulging in sports.

Damage from Computer Screen

Staring at a computer screen for too long can lead to a number of eye related problems. While most of the problems start with eyestrain, and neck, head, back and shoulder pain, they take no time translating into more serious forms of troubles such as blurry vision, problem on focusing on distant objects and dryness in eyes. All of these problems further aggravate the condition of eyes leading to chronic eye problems.

So while you take care of the aforementioned issues on your own, it is advisable to pay your eye doctor a visit every six months or so. Your doctor will be your best guide in determining the condition of your eyes while also helping you take preventive measures for any issues that are likely to occur.