How to Protect Your Eyes
By Randi Morse
We tend to take a lot of things for granted, especially when it comes to our senses. Losing any one of your senses can make living life a lot more difficult, especially losing eyesight. We use our eyes for everything, from locating lost keys to judging distances while we are driving. Taking care of your eyes is extremely important.
Healthy Eating
The food you have on your plate goes a long way to helping keep your eyes healthy. If you are looking to improve your eye health you will want to eat a lot of food with omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and Vitamins C and E. This includes foods like green leafy vegetables, eggs and other non meat proteins, oranges and citrus fruits, and oily fish like salmon and tuna.
Sunglasses
Because I have prescription glasses I tend to avoid wearing sunglasses. Sunglasses, however, go a long way toward helping protect your eyes from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Too much exposure to UV rays can significantly boost the possibility of getting cataracts and macular degeneration. If you're looking for sunglasses, look for a pair that blocks 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays. Lenses that wrap around your head can protect your eyes from the side, which is healthier as well.
Computer Screens
Lots of us stare at computer screens for many hours of the day; staring at a screen for too long can cause a variety of issues including:
- Dry eyes
- Headaches
- Blurry vision
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Eyestrain
There are a few different ways you can protect your eyes from the side effects that occur when you look at a computer screen for too long. First, try to rest your eyes every 20 minutes that you were using your computer. You can do this by looking away from your computer for 20 seconds at a time. It's also a good idea to get up and walk around a bit; this is good for both your eyes and your circulation. Make sure your monitor is level with your eyes, and if you have prescription glasses you may want to look into getting specialty glasses that protect your eyes from the blue light of the screen.
Your eyes are extremely important so make sure you take care of them as best you can.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Amarillo, Tex.