Our eyes change as the years go by, and that is completely normal. You might find you need a brighter lamp to read, hold a menu further away or take longer to adjust when walking from sunshine into a dark room. Some of these changes simply come with age, but the habits you keep each day can still help protect your eyes. Here are some easy ways to care for your vision at any age.
Book Regular Eye Exams
Lots of eye problems develop slowly and may not show clear signs early on. A full eye exam lets an optometrist or ophthalmologist look at the health of your eyes, not only how sharp your sight is. Ask how often you should have a check, since this depends on your age, your family history and your general health. Tell them about any changes, such as blurry spots, difficulty seeing at night or new floaters.
Fill Your Plate With Eye Friendly Foods
Eating a balanced diet helps your whole body, eyes included. Bright, colourful fruit and vegetables are an excellent start.
- Dark leafy greens like kale, spinach and collard greens.
- Orange and yellow foods like peppers, carrots and sweet potatoes.
- Oily fish such as sardines and salmon.
- Beans, eggs, seeds and nuts.
- Berries and citrus fruit.
Shield and Rest Your Eyes
Sunglasses with UV protection help guard your eyes outdoors. Put on safety glasses for jobs like gardening, DIY or sports where something might fly into your eyes. If you read or use screens for long stretches, take regular breaks. One well known tip is the 20-20-20 rule: every twenty minutes, look at something around twenty feet away for about twenty seconds.
Lighting becomes more important with age too. Bright, even light around the home makes reading, cooking and moving from room to room easier and safer.
Take Care of Your Overall Health
Your eyes are linked to the rest of your body. Keeping active, not smoking, sleeping well and following your doctor’s plan for conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure all help your eyes in the long run. Find out whether eye conditions run in your family and share this with your eye doctor. The National Institute on Aging guide to aging eyes explains more.
Get help straight away if you notice sudden changes, like a shadow or curtain across your vision, flashes of light, a sudden burst of floaters, eye pain or loss of sight. At WhatsOnTech we believe good vision helps people stay independent, and our eye health guides share more tips.
This article is general information only and is not medical advice.
