March is Save Your Vision Month! Your vision is a critical part of your overall health and wellbeing. Neglecting your eyesight can lead to a lower quality of life. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has caused many people to neglect the health of their eyes by postponing routine checkups. Many eye health issues have no symptoms, so it is important to see your eye doctor regularly.
Luckily, there are some basic things you can do to help save your vision. Commit to starting them this month!
1. Schedule a Vision Exam
The most important thing you can do for your vision is to regularly see your optometrist. Eye exams are the best way to stay ahead of vision issues. Ask your optometrist questions and compile a vision care plan that’s right for you. If you can’t remember the last time, you saw your eye doctor, make an appointment today.
2. Add Produce to Your Shopping Cart
Healthy eyes start with your diet. If it’s mostly packaged foods and lacks color, do yourself a favor during Save Your Vision Month and include some produce when you’re buying groceries. Produce like carrots, kale, and oranges can protect your eyesight and help improve your overall health. Eating healthy and drinking water is a great way to take better care of yourself. Make a healthier diet your priority during Save Your Vision Month.
3. Get Better Sleep
Sleep factors heavily into your overall health, and more specifically the health of your eyes. While 8 hours per night is the widely accepted standard recommendation, each person is different. Make sure that you’re getting enough sleep each night. It helps your body heal and gives your eyes the rest they need to perform at their best.
4. Limit Screen Time
Each day most people spend 6-8 hours at work looking at screens. After the workday, they may watch another 3-4 hours of TV. Then there are multiple times you spend staring at your phone each day. That’s a lot of screen time for your eyes to handle!
During Save Your Vision Month, consider cutting down on screen time. Instead of watching TV in the evenings, read a book instead. Take note of how often you’re checking your phone and leave it out of reach to reduce the temptation to mindlessly scroll.
If your eyes are dry and tired you may be experiencing digital eye strain from too much screen time. To reduce the symptoms of digital eye strain, use the following tips:
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule, giving your eyes a break every 20 minutes for a minimum of 20 seconds to scan the room 20 feet away.
- Sit at arm’s length (25 inches) from your screen.
- Blink often.
- Adjust the settings on your screen. Adjusting the contrast levels of your screen can make staring at your screen easier for your eyes.
5. Wear Sunglasses, Even in Winter
Like your skin, your eyes can also be damaged by UV rays if you expose them to the sun too much. You can protect your eyes against ultraviolet radiation just by wearing a pair of sunglasses with UV protection. Wearing sunglasses in the winter also has several other benefits. Sunglasses can reduce the evaporation of your eyes’ tears and natural moisture and can keep your contact lenses from drying out on windy days. Always wear UV protection when outdoors to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
Download our Healthy Eye Tips to have an on-the-go reminder of what you can do to Save Your Vision.
