There are several factors that cause poor vision – there’s age, genetics, and your personal surroundings. But, a lot of people believe that getting corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses and contact lenses, or vision impairment implements or aids is enough to address their condition.
While these are effective, to make sure your vision is in great condition, there are certain steps you need to take and lifestyle changes you need to adopt. This is especially important in today’s world, where everyone is always surrounded by screens, whether at work or home.
Because of this kind of environment, it has become easier to develop poor habits that increase the chances of developing vision problems. The following are some of the everyday unhealthy habits that people need to recognise and break immediately to maintain healthy vision for many years:
Not wearing sunglasses or other types of eye protection
Without sunglasses, you’re actually exposing your eyes to the sun’s harmful UV and high-energy visible (HEV) rays. This can cause premature aging as well as extreme damage not just to your eyes but on your eyelids as well.
Other than sunburn, there are several conditions you may develop due to overexposure to the sun. These include cataracts, macular degeneration, photokeratitis – sunburn that affects the front surface of the eyes, pinguecula and pterygium.
Cases of eyelid cancer have also been recorded as well. So, when picking sunglasses to buy, not only should they look stylish, but they should also be able to block the sun’s UV rays. Also, remember to wear them whenever you step outside, even during overcast days.
Spending too much time on your smartphones
People spend hours and hours of their time every day staring at their smartphones. But, trying to read all those tiny texts on your smartphone and other small gadgets can strain your eyesight, which can lead to other more significant vision problems.
When you spend way too much time on your cell phone or laptop, it limits the number of times you blink, and this is important to keep the eyes lubricated and clean. That’s why if you don’t take a break from using devices from time to time, you may experience dry eyes, blurry vision, dizziness and nausea.
If you think you’re struggling, adjust the font size and take a break every 20 minutes.
Not consuming enough eye-friendly food
Carrots being great for the eyesight is common knowledge, but there are other types of food you can include in your diet to ensure good eyesight. Fruits and vegetables that contain significant amounts of zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids are great for the eyesight.
Eggs, nuts, seafood, dark leafy greens and other yellow and orange fruits and vegetables do wonders for the vision as well.
Smoking
There’s a long list of reasons people should not smoke. Not only does it harm the eyes, but it also causes problems to almost every other parts of the body. According to many research, there’s a huge link between smoking and the most common eye diseases such as cataracts, uveitis, macular degeneration, dry eyes and diabetic retinopathy.
Compared to non-smokers, those who smoke regularly are four times more likely to experience vision loss.
