4 Simple Habits That Lower Your Risk of Vision Loss

May is healthy vision month and in honor of this, we’re going to be talking about everything from children’s eye exams to summer eye health tips to help you protect your eyes and ensure the long-term clarity of your vision.

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Our eyes are one of the most sensitive organs in our body and they require extreme care to prevent any problems or abnormalities which can arise due to a variety of factors, one of the most common which is age.

This means that preventative measures should be taken from a young age to maintain healthy eyes. Scheduling regular children’s eyes exams and ensuring you and your family practice good eye care habits at home can go a long way to prevent conditions such as:

• Cataracts
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Glaucoma
• Detached retina

Adult & Children Eye Exams in Calgary

At Market Mall Optometry, our professional eye care specialists provide a range of vision services for the whole family including children’s eye exams, contact lens fittings, and emergency eye care to ensure your vision is protected and stays clear for many years to come.

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4 Tips For Eye Health and Maintaining Good Vision

There are more than 5.5 million Canadians with a major eye disease that can cause severe vision loss. While not all eye diseases can be prevented, there are some simple steps that everyone should take to help their eyes remain healthy and reduce their chances of vision loss in the future.

1. Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly

Everybody needs a regular eye exam, even young children. Seeing a professional eye specialist at least once a year helps protect your sight and keeps your vision clear and comfortable.

This is also important for detecting serious eye conditions which may present no symptoms early on such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Visiting an eye health professional will ensure they are caught and treated early, preventing any vision loss.

A comprehensive eye exam can include:

• Talking about your family and medical history
• Vision tests to see if you are nearsighted, farsighted, or have presbyopia or astigmatism.
• Tests to see how well your eyes are working together.
• Eye pressure and optic nerve tests to check for glaucoma

 

2. Quit Smoking

Every organ in the body can be damaged by smoking, and that includes the eyes. In fact, smokers are at a higher risk of certain eye diseases including:

• Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
  • AMD is a disease that causes irreversible blindness and involves the deterioration of the macula, the central part of the retina that allows us to see sharp details. Smokers have triple the risk of developing AMD compared to non-smokers.  

• Cataracts
  • A cataract is a clouding of the lens and it’s the world’s leading cause of blindness and smoking doubles your risk of developing them - for heavy smokers, it triples it.

• Diabetic Retinopathy
  • Smoking increases your risk of developing diabetes by 30-40 percent and increases the progression of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that causes damage to the blood vessels in the eyes, leading to vision loss.

The good news? Smoking is the most preventable cause of vision loss and even someone with a long history of smoking can significantly reduce their risk of health complications by quitting.

 

3. Wear Sunglasses

The right pair of sunglasses will protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can increase your chances of developing cataracts and macular degeneration.

How to choose the right pair of sunglasses:

• Select a pair that blocks 99% - 100% of UVA and UVB rays
• Wraparound lenses help protect your eyes from the side.
• Talk to your eye doctor about polarized lenses, which can reduce glare while you drive.

If you wear contact lenses, some do offer UV protection. However, it’s always good to wear sunglasses for an extra layer.

 

4. Look Away From the Computer Screen

In today’s age, where our lives revolve around technology, many Canadians spend a lot of their day staring at the computer or phone screen. This can often cause discomforts such as eye strain, blurry vision, dry eyes, and headaches.

To minimize the effects of computer use on your eyes, make sure to:

• Talk to your eye doctor about blue light lenses, which can work to reduce the amount of glare entering your eyes from the computer.
• Check that your eyeglasses or contact lens prescription is up to date.
• Rest your eyes every 20 minutes by looking up and into the distance for at least 20 seconds. Get up at least every 1.5 hours for a quick 10-minute break.
• Blink more to avoid dry eyes.
• Try to avoid glare from windows and lights and use an anti-glare screen if needed.

Tips To Prevent Eye Strain

 

Call Today

To find out more about our comprehensive vision services from children’s eye exams to cataract management and glaucoma testing, contact our Calgary eye clinic at 403-286-4884 or fill in our online contact form.