5 Tips for Maintaining Good Ocular Health

Your eyes are one of the most important organs in your body. They play many pivotal roles in your daily life from basic motor function to entertainment. Don’t take them for granted. Follow these simple steps for maintaining good ocular health.

Eat Healthy

A healthy diet isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about ocular health. The fact of the matter is, good eye health begins at the plate. Nutrient rich vegetables like kale, spinach, or collards can help ward off age related vision problems. Other eye healthy foods include fish like Salmon and Tuna, non-meat proteins like beans and nuts, citrus fruits, oysters, and pork. In addition, maintaining a healthy diet can help you manage your weight. Obesity can lead to many diseases such as diabetes, which is one of the leading causes of glaucoma.

Don’t Skip Your Checkup

There is a reason optometrists schedule frequent vision exams. Your eyes are delicate, and a comprehensive examination is the only way to be certain of their health, since vision has a tendency to be quite tricky. In fact, most conditions can’t even be detected without specialized equipment. Many common eye diseases, like glaucoma, have no warning signs before they take your ability to see. Talk to your doctor to find out how frequently you should have your eyes examined.

Wear Eye Protection

Sunglasses are a wonderful innovation that often go overlooked. Always wear protective eyeglasses when performing dangerous activities, or working with toxic materials. This could be anything from a game of football to a chemistry lab. Further, they look great, and some provide protection from harmful UV-A and UV-B light. However, many manufacturers don’t design them to block these harmful rays. When shopping for sunglasses look for the ones that block out 99% to 100% of UV rays. These will benefit your ocular health the most.

Look Away From the Computer

If you spend a lot of time at the computer, chances are you’ve heard of the 20-20-20 rule. This is a basic rule of thumb that will prevent eye fatigue and damage. It’s very simple: Every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away from the screen for 20 seconds. When focusing on one thing for an extended period of time you tend to forget to blink. This simple rule will save you a lot of eyestrain, and improve your ocular health.

Quit Smoking

Smoking is known to cause heart disease and cancer as well as dozens of other adverse affects on all parts of your body, including your eyes. Research has linked smoking to dry eye, age related macular degeneration, cataracts, nerve damage,  glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and more. This is just one of many simple habits that can have a significant affect on the future of your ocular health.

Taking care of your eyes is simple and easy. Don’t take them for granted. They help you with every little part of your life and can’t be replaced. For more information contact our Phoenix, AZ office at 602-547-3255.