Tips To Remember for Healthy Vision Month!
Good vision is one of those things that is both incredibly important to our overall wellness, and easy to take for granted. However, our eyes must be taken care of in order to promote their health and the best possible vision over time. Additionally, eye health is closely tied to many health issues including diabetes, muscular sclerosis, migraines, and more, which is why it makes sense to be aware of changes to your eyes. Since July is Healthy Vision Month, the healthcare providers here at Abraham Family Medicine thought now would be a great time to set our sights on what people can do to promote eye health and wellness. So keep reading for a few simple tips that can help anyone maintain healthy eyes and clear vision.
Don’t Ignore Any Changes To Your Vision
The way that a person’s vision can change over time can be subtle and at times even hard to notice. However, it’s important to be vigilant and speak to a healthcare provider if you notice any changes in your vision, even small ones. This can mean blurriness in certain situations, difficulty seeing as well at night (especially when driving), noticeable squinting, flashes of light, dry eyes, and many other things that can be signs of slightly altered vision. Even minor changes can have a major impact if not properly addressed.
Protect Your Eyes From The Sun
In addition to being fashionable, a good pair of sunglasses can do wonders for protecting your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Too much UV exposure (especially this time of year) can cause a wide variety of vision issues and also increase your chances of developing chronic conditions like cataracts or macular degeneration. When selecting a pair of sunglasses, look for a pair that is effective against both UVA and UVB rays.
Give Your Eyes a Break From Screen Time
Daily screen time is a natural part of life, but making sure to give your eyes an occasional break from computer, phone, tablet, and/or television screens throughout the day is very highly recommended. Doing so can help prevent eyestrain, as well as headaches, blurry vision, dry eyes, and more. Try using the 20/20/20 rule, which calls for looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds at least once every 20 minutes during any prolonged period of uninterrupted screen time.
Always Avoid Smoking
Many people do not realize that smoking is as bad for their eyes as it is for the rest of the body. Smoking regularly can cause damage to the optic nerve while increasing the risk for cataracts and many other medical problems.
During annual appointments in our office, we discuss if our patients have noticed any changes to their vision since their last visit to make sure no issues have occurred. This is part of our philosophy of providing comprehensive health and wellness services for all of our patients. For more information or if you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact Abraham Family Medicine today. We offer a wide variety of general healthcare services for people of all ages at our Snellville office, located very close to Grayson, Dacula, and Lilburn.
