Healthy Vision: Take care of your eyes now, to make them last for your lifetime !
Many people think the have healthy vision, but then they get that first pair of glasses or contact lenses and the world comes into clearer view—everything from fine print to street signs.
Taking care of your vision should be a priority, just like eating well and engaging in physical activity. Fortunately, many eye problems and diseases can be treated if caught early.
To make sure you keep healthy vision, get a comprehensive dilated eye exam as often as your eye care professional recommends. An eye care professional will examine your eyes for signs of vision problems or eye diseases. It is the best way to find out if you need glasses or contact lens, or are in the early stages of an eye disease.
A regular comprehensive dilated eye exam helps check for common eye problems. If you have not had an exam for some time, schedule one this month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vision Health Initiative encourages Americans to take care of their eyes to make sure they see well throughout their lives.
Also visit an eye care professional if you have decreased vision, eye pain, drainage or redness of the eye, double vision, or diabetes, or if you see flashes of light, floaters (tiny specks that
appear to float before your eyes), or circles (halos) around light sources.
There are nine ways you can help protect your vision:
1. Get a comprehensive dilated eye exam for yourself and your family members.
2. Know your family’s eye health history. It is important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition, since some are hereditary.
3. Eat right to protect your sight—in particular, eat plenty of dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens, and fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, albacore tuna, trout and halibut.
4. Maintain a healthy weight.
5. Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home, such as painting, yard work, and home repairs.
6. Quit smoking or never start.
7. Wear sunglasses that block 99 percent to 100 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation.
8. If you wear contact lens, wash your hands prior to taking out your contact lens and be sure to cleanse your contact lenses properly to avoid the risk of infection.
9. Practice workplace eye safety.
Vision problems often go hand-in-hand with other health problems. People with vision problems are more likely than those with good vision to have diabetes, poor hearing, heart problems, high blood pressure, lower back pain, stroke, and depression.
Among people aged 65 and older, more than 50 percent of those who are blind and over 40 percent of those with impaired vision say their overall health is only fair or poor. Just over 20 percent of older Americans without vision problems reported fair to poor health.
Healthy vision can also help keep you safe each day by preventing falls and accidents.
Although older adults tend to have more vision problems, preschoolers may not see as well as they should. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends vision screening for all children ages 3 to 5 years to find conditions such as amblyopia, or lazy eye, which can be treated effectively if caught early.
CDC’s Vision Health Initiative team works with partners to promote vision health and quality of life for all populations, through all life stages, by preventing and controlling eye diseases, eye injury, and vision loss resulting in disability. The initiative is part of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation.
For more Information:
Vision Health Initiative