Healthy Vision Month

The sun is out, the temperature is rising and the world is starting to bloom. According to the calendar, the winter months are over, and spring is in full swing! Can you believe it’s already May? We are really excited about this at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley, because May is also “Healthy Vision Month” – one of our favorites!

“Healthy Vision Month” encourages everyone to make his or her eye health a priority. With help and from the National Eye Institute, we’d like to help educate and spread awareness about steps you can take to protect your vision.

The first step you can take towards healthier vision is to get a dilated eye exam. Many common eye diseases such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease often have no symptoms – and the only way to catch one of these diseases in their early stages is with a dilated eye exam. During this exam, your eye care professional will put drops in your eyes that will dilate (or widen) your pupil. They can then use a special magnifying lens to examine your retina, and check for signs of damage or other eye problems.

The second step would be to learn about your family’s eye health history. Since many eye-related diseases are hereditary, it is important to know if anyone else in your family has suffered from one of them, as you may be at higher risk of developing an eye disease yourself. If you already suffer from a chronic condition such as diabetes, hypertension or multiple sclerosis, managing your disease with the help of your health care provider can help prevent problems such inflammation of the optic nerve, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma – and even blindness – from occurring.

The third step is about taking preventative measures to protect your eyes. Did you know that every day, 2000 job-related eye injuries take place in the U.S? (And this doesn’t even include sports-related eye injuries.) Protecting your eyes – whether you are on the job, working around the house or playing sports – is of utmost importance. Protective eyewear such as goggles, safety glasses, eye shields, and safety guards should be made out of polycarbonate, a material that is up to ten times stronger than plastic. Talk to your eye care professional when you are preparing to buy protective eyewear to make sure you are getting the best pair.

The fourth and final step is something we should all be doing to help keep our eyes healthy, and that is living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Now, we know that there are many aspects to living healthily, so we’re highlighting the ones that can have the biggest effect on your vision. Maintaining a healthy weight and eating healthy foods are two things you can do that will not only help protect your ocular health, but will help you live a healthier life, overall. Being overweight increases your chances of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions, and you may risk vision loss conditions such as glaucoma or diabetic eye disease. Eating vision-super-foods such as carrots, kale, spinach and fish can also help protect your eyes. Nutrients that include Vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in these foods, are extremely beneficial to your eyes.

You might not have though that smoking could be bad for your vision, but it is in fact just as bad for your vision as it is for the rest of your body. Smoking has been linked to an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and optic nerve damage – all three of which can lead to blindness.

So this May, make sure to take a proactive step in keeping your eyes healthy. Whether you start wearing sunglasses when you go outside to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, or (finally) make an appointment with your eye care professional, any and all small steps help. The National Eye Institute has even come up with a few ways for you to help spread the word! If you have any questions about your vision, or need some more tips on how to keep your eyes healthy, come down to your local Site for Sore Eyes to speak with one of our vision care specialists.