Healthy Eyes: Five Helpful Tips for Glasses Wearers

So many of us these days have vision problems are need to wear glasses or corrective lenses. A recent study showed that as much as 50 per cent of the population of the US is short sighted. I certainly see a lot more kids wearing glasses at school nowadays than there were when I was growing up. Given all of this it is becoming more and more important to look after your eyes properly and make sure your lifestyle isn’t making your vision worse. So I decided I should share my top 5 tips to keep your eyes healthy:

Get your vision checked regularly.

It is advisable to schedule a visit to your optician at least once every 12 months as some vision problems can often go completely unnoticed until it is too late. Getting regular eye tests can prevent the need for costly corrective treatments in the future so make sure you always follow your optician’s advice – if they say you need prescription glasses, start wearing them straight away.

If you need glasses, always make sure you wear them!

It doesn’t matter whether you think they look good or not, if your optician has said you need glasses then you need them. Not wearing your glasses can damage your eyes further and will only mean that you will need a stronger prescription later. If you don’t like the way they look then shop around, there are hundreds of frames available and there is sure to be something that will suit you.

Maintain a healthy diet for your eyes

Research has proven that certain vitamins and nutrients are beneficial to your eyesight, so making sure you eat a diet rich in vitamins A, C and E, folic acid, selenium and zinc could help prevent future vision problems. If your glasses prescription is very low (-0.25) it’s possible that your vision problems could actually be corrected by switching to a diet rich in these important nutrients.

Protect your eyes in summer

It may sound really obvious to say that UV rays can cause severe damage to your vision, yet hundreds of people still allow this to happen every year. Sunglasses are an absolute must when going out in the sun, whether you have problems with your eyesight or not. With an endless range of designer sunglasses on the market, it’s easy to find a pair that you like and that will give you the all-important protection you need.

Give your eyes a break!

If you usually spend a lot of time at your computer, it’s important to give your eyes regular breaks from looking at the screen. Just closing your eyes or focusing on an object in the distance for 10 seconds at least once an hour can make a really big difference and helps to prevent headaches and vision problems associated with prolonged use of a screen. Remember it’s not just work that causes these problems, the same applies to watching TV and playing video games too!