Here are 10 actions you can take to keep your eyes healthy:
Wear a hat and sunglasses when you are outdoors. Ultraviolet light can cause damage to your eyes and, in the long term, lead to eye conditions such as cataracts.
Visit your eye care health professional regularly. Regular checks may help to detect problems at an early stage, which means you can potentially have treatment before any permanent damage occurs to your eyes.
Wear eye protection when playing sports. Eye injuries can easily occur when playing sports such as fencing, squash or high-speed ball sports. It is also a good idea to protect your eyes from road grit or projectiles when riding a bicycle.
Quit smoking. Smoking damages your whole body, including the blood vessels that supply blood and nutrients to your eyes. If you are a smoker, it is not too late to improve your eye health by quitting.
Stick to a healthy diet and exercise routine. Eating fresh, healthy food and exercising regularly helps to keep your blood vessels, eyes and your body in good shape.
Avoid eye injuries at home. Wear eye protection when using power tools or chemicals or when doing home maintenance, renovations or work in the garden.
Control your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Keeping your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels low helps to keep your eyes and the rest of your body healthy.
Take regular breaks when working in front of your computer. Staring at the computer causes eyestrain and tired eyes and can cause long-term damage to your vision. Incorporate regular breaks and try some eye exercises to relax your eye muscles.
Make sure you have proper lighting. Position your lights correctly when reading or working at the computer. Low light or bright lights can cause eyestrain.
Wear eye protection at your workplace. Sixty per cent of all eye injuries occur at work. Jobs that involve handling hazardous chemicals or the use of machinery to cut, drill, grind, hammer, sand, spray or weld increase your chances of eye injuries.
This post originally posted by Better Health Channel.