Did you know that your vision is one of the senses most susceptible to old age? As you get older, past your 30s and into the 40s, there are a host of eye problems waiting to pounce at any given moment. 1 in 6 adults over the age of 45 is suffering from some underlying eye problem.
There are multiple precautions for eyes and healthy eye care tips to avoid facing eye problems after 40. As you get older, you tend to need more light to see stuff, have trouble reading up-close, or seeing things far away. Not to mention the big ones like cataracts and thyroid eye disease, which can all show up at your doorstep without warning.
Vision is one of the key senses for a healthier, more active lifestyle as you get to the second half of your life. One wouldn’t go remiss if they started taking the necessary precautions for eyes from a much younger age.
Speaking of, here are a few actions you can take today, so you can protect your vision later:
Table of Contents
Regular Eye Check-Ups
The big one. If nothing else, do this at least. Schedule and more importantly, follow through with a thorough eye check-up appointment at least once a year. Eye problems can also arise innocuously relating to family genetic history, history of diabetes, high blood pressure, or poor vision in general. During check-ups, experts have an unobstructed view of your eyes to detect the smallest of abnormalities. That makes it rather necessary to schedule professional eye examinations once a year after you hit 40. Besides that, never shy away from scheduling impromptu check-ups if you feel any discomfort or changes to your vision between annual appointments.
A Good Night’s Sleep
A good night’s sleep is akin to a reset button for your entire body from head to toe. You look better, you feel better, you perform your daily tasks better. A good rest will help support the health of your eyes. About 7 hours of downtime a day is seen as optimum for maintaining overall health, including your vision. Besides, you can enhance the benefits by sticking to a regular sleep schedule, cutting down on caffeine, and avoiding screen time right before and right after sleeping.
Screen Time Management
It’s almost 2022, and half the world carries out their trades by working remotely, or at least, digitally. The high-energy blue light coming from your devices is quite harmful to the eyes, and it’s more important now than ever to make sure you take all the proper precautions to deal with it. Digital screens are made up of thousands of tiny dots – pixels – so your retina must adjust and readjust constantly to focus on the image. This increases the strain on your eyes.
Now, it’s not practical to simply cut down on screen time because a lot of our livelihoods are attached to it. But the least we could do is follow simple rules of usage:
- Keep your screen 20-24 inches away from your eyes
- Blink frequently
- Adjust brightness to minimize glare on the screen
- Take a break away from the screen for at least minutes every hour
Nutrition is Always Key
As with most bodily functions, nutrition plays a key role in maintaining the health of your eyes. In fact, as you get older, proper nutrition becomes critical in preserving eye health. Foods with high levels of antioxidants such as vitamins A and C are highly beneficial. Also, green leafy vegetables, fatty fish like salmon, contain essential omega-3 fatty acids, important to the health of the macula, the part responsible for central vision.
A diet with inadequate antioxidants, high processed carbohydrates, consumption of alcohol, are all linked with an increased likelihood of eye problems. As you get older, your body needs more and more proper nutrition, especially your eyes.
Here are some extra precautions you can take to maintain the health of your eyes as you get to the twilight of your life:
- Wear UV-rated sunglasses when out and about, protecting you from the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.
- Avoid smoking as much as possible, as it is linked with high levels of macular degeneration
- Exercise can be a life-saver, literally. The biggest positive is that it increases blood flow and oxygen levels reaching your eyes.
Getting older does not have to be a tribulation full of ailments and discomforts. With proper precautions and some foresight, your mature years can have a clear and comfortable vision. Book an eye appointment today at Prasad Netralaya by calling +91 9513596565. You can also book a teleconsultation here.
