Vision and Aging: How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy at Every Stage of Life

HVA • 2 days ago

When people age, they start noticing changes in their vision.

How often have you heard old people complaining that they;

Cannot see things up close

Have trouble distinguishing one color from another

Need time to adjust to changing light levels?

These problems are very common in people of age. However, their symptoms start from a very early age, although back then, they were hardly noticeable. But with some eye health tips, you can have healthy eyes at every age. If you are at risk for eye conditions or diseases, you must know how to properly care for aging eyes.

9 Ways to Keep Your Eyes Healthy at Every Stage of Life

Every person experiences normal changes in aging eyes. However, some problems are more severe than others, such as light, wind, and temperature sensitivity, dry eyes, diabetic retinopathy, or cataracts.

It is very important to protect your eyes for healthy vision at every age, as eye diseases or conditions can progress toward vision loss and blindness. While regular eye exams are the best type of vision care for aging eyes, there are other eye health tips that you should regularly incorporate into your routine to enjoy healthy eyes at every stage of life.

1. Get Regular Eye Exams

You must get eye exams every one to two years. Regular eye exams are the best way to keep your eyes healthy throughout your life, even if you have a 20/20 vision. Just like an annual health checkup detects problems and conditions that have unnoticeable symptoms, an eye exam catches eye health and vision issues that you cannot otherwise see or feel. People with a higher risk of eye diseases need even more frequent eye exams, for example, if they are over 60, are Hispanic, overweight, or have diabetes.

2. Know Your Family History

To make sure that you do not carry any underlying eye diseases, talk to your family members and know your family history. Some eye conditions run in families, for example, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. If you are worried that you may develop eye diseases that run in your family, talk to a doctor. They will suggest the best eye health tips to care for your aging eyes, which will help you lower your risks.

3. Eat for Eye Health

A diet rich in fruits, whole grains, and vegetables and low in fat is the best diet for aging eyes. If you want healthy eyes at every age, opt for the following foods in your diet;

· Orange Colored Fruits And Vegetables: They have vitamin A, a vital nutrient for the retina. These foods include carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, and cantaloupes.

· Citrus Fruits: These fruits contain vitamin C, which is an antioxidant and protects the eyes from environmental factors. Examples of such foods are lemons, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit.

· Leafy Green Vegetables: They contain vitamin E, which keeps your eyes healthy at every point in life. Examples of leafy green vegetables are avocados, almonds, and sunflower seeds.

4. Maintain a Healthy Weight

It probably comes as no surprise that healthy eyes at every age are related to a healthy weight. As people age, naturally, their weight also increases, either due to bad eating habits or a slower metabolism. This leads to obesity, which indirectly affects your eye health by contributing to diseases like type 2 diabetes and, thus, diabetic retinopathy.

5. Use Protective Eyewear

One of the best eye health tips that will maintain your eyesight and eye health throughout your life is protective eyewear. No matter if you are on a basketball court, in a closed car, or sitting by the pool, always wear protective eyewear when you are outside of your house. There are many kinds of protective eyewear, such as sports goggles, swim goggles, sunglasses, safety goggles, etc. This protective eyewear prevents eye injuries and will protect your eyes from harmful UV rays and other objects when spending time outdoors.

6. Quit Smoking

You might be wondering, “Doesn’t smoking only affect lungs?” Wrong. Smoking harms every part of your body, including your eyes. One of the worst ways in which smoking affects your eye health is through age-related macular degeneration. Macula, which is the central part of the retina, allows you to read, drive, watch television, and much more. Smoking increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration, which leads to doubling, even tripling your risk. The more you smoke, the quicker your vision will decline.

7. Wear UV-Blocking Sunglasses

UV-blocking sunglasses have become the talk of the town these days as they are one of the most effective barriers between your eyes and UV rays. Always choose a UV-blocking sunglasses pair that offers 100% protection, otherwise called UV400. The lens material also affects how well these glasses block harmful rays. Glass and polycarbonate are some of the best lens materials for UV-blocking sunglasses. The former offers the clearest vision, and the latter is lightweight and impact-resistant.

8. Handle Contacts Safely

Everyone wants healthy eyes at every age. But sometimes, poor handling of contact lenses leads to serious damage to the eyes. If you are a contact lens wearer, no matter what stage of life you are in, always take care of them properly. Don’t sleep in them; wash your hands with soap before handling your contacts, and replace them as per the provider’s instructions. If you experience any pain or discomfort when wearing contacts, immediately visit an eye care provider for the best advice.

9. Prioritize Eye Safety at Work

There are many useful eye health tips for different types of work environments. For an office environment, where 7-8 hours of screen exposure is inevitable, adopt the 20-20-20 rule, in which you take a break every 20 minutes to look at an object placed 20 feet away for 20 seconds. When working in industrial settings, especially when handling chemicals, wear splash-proof or chemical-resistant goggles, and when working outdoors, always wear sunglasses with UV protection.