Tips for maintaining good eye health
Written by:
Ophthalmologist
Published: 23/04/2020
Edited by: Emma McLeod
Lifestyle choices go a long way when it comes to maintaining your eye health, not just the rest of your body. Learn from a leading consultant ophthalmologist, Mr Aris Konstantopoulos, about what you can do to ensure you have the best quality eye health possible. The impact of these easy-to-implement tips may surprise you.
Adopt a healthy diet and lose weight
Eating a healthy, balanced diet, enriched with fruit, vegetables, high-fibre foods and unsaturated oils, is important in maintaining good health and preserving your vision.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to good eye health and particularly useful in preventing and treating dry eyes. Good dietary sources include salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds, cauliflower, spinach and eggs.
Antioxidants may have a role in age-related macular degeneration and cataracts by delaying their development and deterioration. Both of these conditions cause a progressive loss of vision. Vitamins A, C and E are important antioxidants, as are lutein and zeaxanthin. Great dietary sources of these antioxidants are vegetables such as kale, red pepper, spinach, broccoli and peas. Other vitamin-rich foods include eggs, oranges, sweetcorn and orange peppers.
Exercising and losing weight are also important for your eye health. Epidemiological studies have shown that being overweight can be associated with elevated pressure inside the eyes, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.
Stop smoking
The devastating effect of smoking on health is well known. This is mainly due to smoking’s role as a major cause of cancer, heart and blood vessel disease and lung conditions.
Smoking has adverse effects on eye health too. It’s one of the largest risk factors for the development of age-related macular degeneration. It also harms the health of the blood supply to the retina, potentially causing a sudden and irreversible loss of vision from a retinal artery occlusion, which is a stroke-like event in the eye.
Numerous studies have linked smoking with the development of cataracts. In addition, the small particles that are present in cigarette smoke can irritate the conjunctiva (the white part of the eye) and cause dryness and discomfort. This may be more of an issue for contact lens wearers.
Have frequent breaks when reading or performing computer work
Reading a book, browsing on your tablet or mobile phone and doing work on your computer all require more effort from your eyes than when looking into the distance. This can result in uncomfortable eyes because when looking at screens, we don’t blink as frequently as normal and this leads to dryness of the surface of the eye. This effect is worsened by air-conditioning and central heating.
It has been shown that too much close-up work, particularly indoors, in childhood and up to early adulthood can lead to short-sightedness and the need for glasses.
I would, therefore, recommend that after 20 minutes of screens and close-up work you have a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet in the distance. This gives your eyes short breaks, allowing the muscles to relax and a more natural blinking to resume.
Do not over wear your contact lenses and practise good lens care
Wearing your contact lenses for longer than advised or for longer than your eyes feel comfortable can lead to contact lens intolerance and corneal ulceration. Contact lens intolerance symptoms include:
Irritation Burning sensation Grittiness Dry eye Watery red eyeThese symptoms can result in you having to limit or stop your lens wear.
Bad habits to avoid include not washing your hands when inserting or removing your lenses, showering in your lenses, contaminating your lens solutions with tap water and wearing the lenses beyond their lifespan; these cause corneal ulceration and sight-threatening infection.
Visit your optician regularly
I would advise you to have an eye examination by your optometrist at least every 24 months. Optometrists can detect serious eye problems like glaucoma, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. They will also ensure your vision meets the legal requirements for driving and prescribe appropriate spectacles or contact lenses to assist in achieving this.
Wear sunglasses all year round
In addition to being style accessories, sunglasses do protect your eyes from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Progressive exposure to UV radiation throughout life is implicated with oxidative stress and the ageing processes of the body. There is very good evidence to suggest that excessive UV exposure can cause tumours of the eyelids and eye surface, and some evidence links it to the development of cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
Mr Aris Konstantopoulos can help you ensure your eyes are at optimum health.Visit his Top Doctors profile today.