August is National Eye Health Month!

Here are some simple ways to keep your eyes healthy!!!

1. Eat lots of deep yellow and leafy green vegetables like broccoli or corn and lots of Omega-3 rich foods like fish and nuts.

2. Keep your body healthy. Maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly.

3. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from sun exposure. If you know that you are going to spend a lot of time outdoors in open areas like the beach or the lake, make sure to take your sunglasses with you to protect your eyes from exposure to harmful UV rays. Think of sunglasses as sunscreen for your eyes.

4. Wear protective eye wear whenever playing sports or engaging in activities that could pose a risk to the eye. Anyone playing a sport or participating in an activity where it is even remotely possible to sustain an eye injury should wear eye protection. This is essential when participating in activities like woodworking where foreign objects could enter the eye.

5. Avoid or quit smoking. Smoking has many different damaging effects on our bodies, including weakening eye health. It is best to stay away from smoking and smokers while they smoke as much as possible.

6. Know your family’s eye health history, make sure your doctor knows it as well so they know what to look out for. Ask your parents, grandparents, etc. what kinds of eye disorders may run in the family. Many of the most common eye ailments are linked to genetic makeup.

7. If you wear contact lenses, make sure to use them safely and take every precaution to avoid eye infections. Take them out at night to give your eyes a rest and a chance to refresh. Be gentle and careful when putting them in. Get immediate help if the contact lens slips into a place it should not, especially if it gets stuck there.

8. Allow your eyes time to rest. Take 10-15 minutes breaks from screen time throughout the day. Get enough sleep at night. Allow your eyes to relax and rest.

9. Limit screen time as much as possible. If you are on the computer all day for work, turn the brightness down on the screen to prevent overexposure to harmful elements of the light. Try to find extracurricular activities that do not require screen usage. Do not sit too close to screens like TVs and computers. If you cannot see the letters on a tablet or phone, raise the font size instead of holding the device closer to your face.

10. Get regular eye exams and follow any treatments recommended by the doctor. Eye exams should be done annually, just like physicals. This will help prevent unnecessary eye damage due to things like not knowing that you need glasses for reading or detect any eye issues that may not be obvious.