Eye care is important for maintaining good vision and reducing the risk of conditions that can affect your eyesight and cause blindness. We often prioritize other aspects of our health, and only seek advice when we notice significant deterioration or serious symptoms. In this article, we’ll outline some simple steps to make eye care easy.

Protecting Your Eyes from Sunlight and Screens

Bright sunlight and prolonged spells of staring at screens can affect your eyes. You may find that you get headaches from squinting on sunny days or that your eyes feel tired after a long day at work. The best ways to protect your eyes include wearing high-quality sunglasses that offer UV protection and resting your eyes. If you use computers or mobile devices for work, take regular breaks. Look away from your screen and focus on objects or people in the distance. You can also use software to reduce the impact of blue light or wear blue light glasses.

Seeking Advice for New or Worsening Symptoms

If you have new symptoms that affect your eyes, or your symptoms have gotten worse, it’s beneficial to seek advice. From struggling to see things nearby or far away and cloudy vision to pain and increased sensitivity to light, it’s important to get checked out by experts like an ophthalmologist or a cataract specialist. Common conditions include cataracts, long-sightedness, short-sightedness, and age-related macular degeneration. Most people have a higher risk of developing symptoms as they age, but this is not always the case.

There are many treatments and therapies available to cure eye conditions, manage symptoms, or improve vision. Examples include wearing glasses or contact lenses, laser eye surgery, cataract surgery, and medication.

Attending Regular Eye Exams

Eye tests are designed to determine how well you can see. Experts use a range of tests to check your vision in both eyes and monitor your general eye health. If you attend frequent appointments, this enables opticians to identify changes and make recommendations based on the results. If your sight has deteriorated, for example, you may be advised to start wearing glasses. If you already use spectacles or contact lenses, but your prescription has changed, adjusting the strength of the lens is beneficial. It’s important to have regular eye tests to ensure you get the help, treatment, and support you need. If you wait until your vision has deteriorated significantly or you have severe symptoms of eye conditions, treatment is less likely to be effective.

Health experts recommend eye tests every 1-2 years for adults. If you have existing eye problems or you have diabetes, you may be advised to have tests more frequently.

Many of us automatically think about diet and exercise when we talk about health, but there are many facets to consider. It’s crucial to look after your eyes to preserve your vision and reduce the risk of eye conditions. Simple steps include protecting your eyes from bright sunlight and screens, seeking professional advice if you have new or worsening symptoms, and attending regular eye tests.