Top 10 Tips for Protecting your Eyesight

Follow our top 10 tips to protect your eyesight and prevent any problems arising in the future. If you can't follow all these tips then make sure you do one thing; visit your optician and have a regular eye test.

1. Wear sunglasses:
Ultra violet light from the sun's rays can cause damage to your eyes. To reduce risks always wear a pair of sunglasses when outside in the sun. Check your shades have a UV factor rating and carry the CE mark which indicates that they meet European safety standards.

2. Take regular screen breaks:
If you use a computer, take frequent breaks from your screen - at least one an hour. Resting your eyes can avoid headaches, eyestrain, soreness and double vision.

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3. Eat the right food:
Some foods can help prevent eye conditions; like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. These foods all contain either lutein or zeaxanthin and are found in many fruit and vegetables including: mango, squash, broccoli, green beans, and spinach.

4. Know your family eye history:
Glaucoma is a condition which causes vision to become patchy and may lead to tunnel vision. Detected early, it can be treated and controlled. Glaucoma can be hereditary (although it may skip generations) so if members of your family have the condition, go and get yourself tested.

5. Clean your contact lenses:
Only use commercially prepared solutions for contact lens care and never use tap or distilled water, or saliva. If you don't stick to a strict cleansing routine your eyes can become infected and you risk corneal disease, or even the loss of an eye. You should never borrow or use anybody else's contacts and never sleep in your contacts unless advised you can by the optometrist.

6. Wear safety glasses:
Cleaning, DIY or gardening can be hazardous to your eyes as chemicals, garden debris, or nails and splinters can all cause injury. Consider wearing safety goggles.

7. Take care with cosmetics:
Be careful when using eye make up remover or any other cream around your eyes. Also, close your eyes or turn away when spraying cosmetics like perfume or hairspray.

8. Know your first-aid:
Never guess about the severity of an eye injury. Seek medical attention as soon as possible following an injury, particularly if you have pain in the eye, blurred vision, or loss of vision.

9. Diabetics:
Although the majority of diabetics never experience any eye problems at all, people who have diabetes are at risk of losing vision through a condition called diabetic retinopathy.

10. Visit your Optician:
More than half of all sight loss is avoidable if the cause is caught early. It is recommended that people have an eye test every two years – which is free to anyone under 16 or over 60 - but research shows that one in four of us fail to do this.
A regular eye test can identify any early indications of diseases such as cataract, glaucoma and age related macular degeration. An eye test can also identify other problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure for which the Optometrist can refer you back to a GP.