Our eyes take a beating on most days.  Strained, tired, rubbing, allergies, dryness, irritated, and the list goes on.

Yes, time can change our eyes and our vision, but there are still some proven steps we can take to keep our eyes healthy our whole lives.

Eye exam

If you have never had an eye exam or it’s long overdue, start there.  This can reveal the reasons why you are squinting more while reading near or far, or while driving at night seems more stressful than it used to be.

Addressing changes in vision with glasses or contacts can make a world of difference!  Glasses are so fashionable now that people buy fake ones just to make a fashion statement!  You can do that with a prescription pair!  Don’t forget sunglasses!  It was a game changer for me when I got sunglasses that I could also read with!  No more switching back and forth with regular glasses and sunglasses. Why did I wait so long?!

I’m always amazed seeing people when they are driving holding up a hand to their eyes trying to block the sun rays. Wearing sunglasses helps with your eyesight and can prevent wrinkles.  All that squinting over time creates more lines around the eyes so don’t forget eye cream twice a day, which will help with those fine lines and wrinkles.

Supplements and Diet

Dry eyes are such a problem for people nowadays.  People will complain that their eyes feel gritty and irritated, thinking there is something in their eyes.  It’s the something that’s not in their eyes.  Lubrication.  If you have dry eyes you know what I’m talking about.  We need that lubrication for eye health.  Omega 3 fish oil works wonders to address this.  Eye doctors now make it part of their recommendation for dry eye syndrome. Start with 1,000mg daily, which is usually 2 soft gels.  You can take more, but taking Omega 3’s consistently will usually give really good results.

Lutein is another highly recommended supplement for eye health.  If you take a good multivitamin it’s probably already in there. Check your labels. You can add this as an extra supplement if you are really wanting to jump-start your eye health regimen.  Lutein is known as a preventative for macular degeneration as well.  Always check with your doctor first before adding any new supplements if you are on medications.

Eat more fat!  Some examples are avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butters etc. Not only will you be bringing health back to your body, but your eyes will benefit greatly as well.

What are those things floating in my eyes?

Floaters.  Harmless but can be annoying!  They are made of protein and other discarded cell material.  They can increase more with aging as well.   I used to be bothered by them quite a bit until I found a simple solution that works every time and I rarely have them anymore.  It’s an eye exercise that takes about 1 minute.  Try it the next time you have one of those black specks passing across your eyeball!

What you do is look straight ahead and roll your eyes clockwise and then counter-clockwise in a circle.  Roll them to the left, then straight up, then to the right and down again going in a complete circle all the while keeping your head straight.  I do this about 5 times in each direction.  Works every time!

Caution

Whenever something doesn’t seem right with your eyes such as blurry vision, loss of peripheral vision, blood in the eye etc, get to an eye dr as soon as possible.  Certain diseases affect the eyes so the sooner you can address the cause the better!

Overuse of eye drops to reduce redness can actually dry out your eyes.  Antihistamines in seasonal allergy medicines will also cause the eyes to feel dry and uncomfortable.  Look instead for eye drops specifically for dry eyes that contain no preservatives.  These can be used a few times a day and will bring a lot of relief.

Hope this helps you to think about your eyes as part of your overall health and don’t forget to make that eye exam appointment if needed!

 

Until next time,

~pat