As you age, your eyesight will, unfortunately, start to get worse and worse. It’s one of the very first things to go when you start hitting middle age and up. Even men and women who have never had a vision problem often begin having trouble seeing things as clearly as they used to when they hit a certain age. Sure, you can go to the eye doctor for contacts or glasses every year or two. However, if you want to attack the root of the problem, there are a few things that you can do that will improve your eyesight. Let’s take a look at them right now.
Improve with food
Do you remember being told to eat your carrots when you were a child if you wanted help seeing in the dark? While carrots won’t give you the night vision you may have hoped for, they do contain nutrients that will help improve your vision. Other foods can do the same. For example, eggs and broccoli contain two nutrients known as lutein and zeaxanthin. Both nutrients will improve the pigment density of your eyes. Spinach, strawberries, and carrots should be another addition to your diet as they can prevent the onset of a disease known as macular degeneration. You’re already eating three meals every day, so why not add these superfoods to your shopping list?
Keep exercising
Exercise is important for a lot of different reasons. While most of us only think about exercising to lose weight and gain muscle, regular exercise can even help with our eyesight. When you work out regularly, you’re reducing your risk of developing a disease that can cause problems for your vision-type 2 diabetes. A person with this type of diabetes can suffer from diabetic retinopathy because of damaged blood vessels in their body. The additional sugar flowing through the blood will weaken the walls of the retinal arteries, which then causes them to leak. Of course, fluid leaking into your eyes will affect your vision, so keep up the exercise as much as you can.
Give the screen a break
The majority of the world is now walking around with a cell phone in their hand. Are you one of them? Cell phones, tablets, computers, and other electronic devices have made life a lot easier. Plus, who doesn’t spend hours scrolling through social media? Unfortunately, technology can cause a few issues with our eyes. If you are always starting at a screen, your chances of having vision issues are even higher as you age.
How can you fix this issue, especially if you have to be on your computer for work? Experts advise the “20-20-20” rule if you have to look at a screen for a long period of time. After looking at your computer or phone for 20 minutes, look at something about 20-feet away for the next 20 seconds. Repeat every 20 minutes. This allows your eyes to get the rest that they need when you aren’t able to get away from your screen.
Protect your peepers
Wear protective eyewear as much as you can. Protecting your eyes from the harsh rays of the sun will also protect your vision. When you are outside, wear a quality pair of sunglasses that have UV protection. You should even wear sunglasses on cloudy days; after all, the sun is still shining down on you through the clouds! Wearing protective eyewear will protect your vision in the long run. You’ll also have a better chance of eluding things such as pterygium and cataracts when you keep the glasses on.
Don’t wait until you start noticing problems with your eyesight. Start taking care to protect your eyes now while you still can, even if you are starting to see changes. The more steps that you take to look after your eyesight now, the better it will be in the future. Get started today for the best results.