Your eyes play a crucial role in orienting you around your world from the time you wake up until you fall asleep. It is also true that our eyesight and our eyes’ health deteriorates as we age. Although most people are unlikely to lose all their vision as they age, a lot of people need corrective glasses or contact lenses later in life. To maintain good vision and to ensure our eyes remain healthy as we age, it is important to do a few things that will help with both.
Get Checked for and Manage Eye Diseases
A major cause of vision loss is eye diseases and diseases that affect the eyes like glaucoma and diabetes. These eye diseases can be treated, managed or slowed down to reduce their impact on your vision. Although there is no cure for some causes of vision loss, there are medical advances that allow doctors to anticipate eye diseases so they can prevent and treat them or even prevent vision loss, especially as we age.
Go in for Regular Checkups
Most people do not go in for eye checkups unless they have problems with their eyesight. This is the wrong way to go about things because regular checkups can help catch issues earlier and give you and your doctor enough time to agree on the best treatment options to prevent vision loss.
Eye specialists are specially trained to determine how healthy your eyes are and give you options to improve your vision using eye exercises, contact lenses or glasses. Ophthalmologists also diagnose and treat various eye diseases that can cause partial or total vision loss.
Ideally, everyone should go for a full eye exam at least once a year. The eye doctors and opticians at eye care centres like Merivale vision care offer full eye exams and can help you understand the value of maintaining good vision. Should you need glasses, their opticians can help you choose the best lenses and frames from their exceptional selection of eyewear which are compatible with your preferences and lifestyle.
Protect Your Eyes from the Sun
Most people know to wear sunscreen when they go out in the sun, but a lot of people do not know that they need to protect their eyes from ultraviolet rays, too. Prolonged exposure to UV rays has been linked to an increased risk of yellow raised spots in the eyes and cataracts. Eye diseases like corneal dystrophies, solar retinitis and muscular degeneration have also been linked to UV exposure. It is, therefore, important to wear prescription sunglasses or UV-blocking contact lenses when out in the sun.
Protect Your Eyes When Working or Playing
Eye injuries during work or when playing a sport are another leading cause of vision loss. Always wear safety glasses, protective goggles and other protective gear when you work or play. These precautions will protect you from vision damage, eye injury and complete or partial vision loss.
Protecting your eyes whenever possible and going for regular checkups remain two of the best ways to maintain healthy eyes and to protect your vision. Doing both of these things becomes increasingly important as we age.
