Here are some easy inexpensive ways to maintain healthy eyesight and prevent vision loss and visual impairments.

Eat right to protect your sight.

Keeping your eyes healthy by eating a well-balanced diet is the easiest way to go. You’ve consistently heard that carrots are good for your eyes, but not only carrots. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, like dark leafy greens, such as spinach, and fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and tuna is important for keeping your eyes healthy too. So go on and load up your plate, make it colourful with fruits and veggies and give your eyes great nutrition.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing some health issues such as diabetes, high cholesterol and other systemic conditions. These can lead to vision problems such as diabetic eye disease, glaucoma or even a stroke in the eyes. It is necessary to maintain a healthy weight to prevent this as these conditions are preventable. However, if you’re having trouble maintaining a healthy weight, talk to your doctor.

Wear protective eyewear to protect your eyes.

Protecting your eyes when playing sports and at your workplace is very important. This is to shield your eyes from danger and eye injuries. Protective eyewear includes special safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards designed to give full protection to your eyes during your activities. Most protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is impact-resistant and 10 times stronger than other plastics. In the workplace, employers are required to provide a safe work environment. So, if protective eyewear is required as a part of your job, always remember to wear them while at work to protect your eyes.

Wear your sunglasses.

Ultraviolet rays can hurt your eyes. The sun is the biggest source of these UV rays. Wearing sunglasses that block 99% or 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation is a sure way of giving your eyes full protection from the harmful effects of UV rays. Also, remember to never look directly at the sun.

Quit smoking.

Smoking is bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body. Research has shown that smoking can put you at risk for age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and optic nerve damage, all of which can lead to blindness. It is better to stop smoking, or better still never start.

Know your family’s eye health history.

It is important to know the eye health history of your family members. Many eye diseases are hereditary, so if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition, it is good to know and screen for it. This will help you determine if you’re at higher risk for developing the same eye disease, and also enlighten you about preventing or managing such conditions early.

Give your eyes a rest.

If you spend a lot of time at your computer, tablet, phone, television or focusing on one thing for long, your eyes can tire out easily. Give your eyes a break with the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This short exercise can help reduce eyestrain. And while at it don’t forget to blink.

Hygiene and your contact lenses.

If you wear contacts, always wash your hands thoroughly before putting them in and taking them out to prevent the risk of nasty eye infections. Make sure to disinfect contact lenses as instructed, with appropriate solutions and replace them when due.

Have a comprehensive eye exam.

a comprehensive eye exam is the only way to really be sure that you have a good eye sight. Most eye diseases, such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, and age-related macular degeneration, often have no warning signs in their early stages and a dilated eye examination is the only way to detect these diseases. Also don’t wait out any severe pain or loss of vision in your eyes. When in any discomfort, visit your optometrist. If you’ve never had an eye exam before, now is the best time to book one.