Protecting Your Eyes with the Right Routines and Eyewear
Our eyesight is probably the most important sense for a lot, if not all, people. Close to 75% of North Americans believe that their sight is the most important sense they have. Yet only about 40% of North Americans have an annual eye exam, and a full 85% admit that they do not care for their eyes as much as they should. This leaves a lot of Americans with poor vision, which results to a greater need to wear prescribed glasses and other necessary eyewear to help you see better.
Prevention is still a lot better that any corrective eyeglasses and eye supplements. Avoid having to wear geeky-looking, thick glasses by protecting your eyes, literally. You can do this by choosing the right protective sunglasses. Look for sungalsses that tells you how much UV protection the glasses offer. Ideally, your sunglass should block 99% to 100% of UV radiation. This means that the glasses will block 95% of UV radiation. UV radiation can cause irritation and even cataract in the long run. Dark colored sunglasses don't necessarily protect you better. Gray, green, and brown lenses usually give better protection than other colors. More expensive designer shades may be more fashionable, but they don't necessarily provide more protection. If you do decide to go for designer sunglasses, remember to look for the UV-protection label.
Close-fitting eyewear help block light more effectively. Look for wraparound shades or large lenses. Yellow or brown tinted lenses are more effective at counteracting the 'blue' glare on snow. That is the reason why most hobby-related and sports-related eyewear (dive masks, ski goggles, swim goggles) are made with the said color lenses. You can even have sunglasses and goggles fitted with prescription lenses.
For people who already use glasses, you can still lessen the gravity of damage to your eyes by performing eye exercises and relaxation techniques daily to increase optical muscle strength and coordination. Just take 30 minutes of your day to relax and rest your eyes by closing them for 10-15 minutes, and then rotating your eyes slowly for 2-3 minute to loosen tensed muscles on the eye sockets.
Awareness of healthy habits is also an important part of eye care. Watching TV, computer use, reliance on optical correction from glasses and contacts, as well as the normal aging process, all contribute to weak and distorted vision. Heavy alcohol consumption damages vision; and so do fat-concentrated food. The eyes have a very great need for oxygen and quality nutrients. A high-fat diet can restrict blood flow to the eyes (and all other parts of the body), and is directly related to incidence of macular degeneration.
Prolonged use of computers is one of the most common reasons for poor vision. Though your glasses can lessen the glare from the computer, a day of rest from the monitor still goes a long way. If daily computer use is unavoidable, then make sure you get a computer glare protector that can be attached to your screen. Wearing glasses with protective tints also helps lessen the stress on your eyes.
If, in case, you do need to get eyeglasses, then make sure you have your eyes checked every 6 months. Choose eyeglass frames that fit well (and look good on you) so your eyes don