How Can You Prevent Vision Loss?

Losing your vision can be devastating and life-altering, and it’s not always something that can be prevented. However, there are certain things that you can do on a daily basis that could help protect you from vision loss in the future. Keep reading to get tips on protecting your vision, from our FL eye clinic in Orlando.

Know Your Family’s Eye Health History

Just as it’s important to know your family’s health history for conditions like cancer and high blood pressure, you should also be aware of your family’s proclivity for certain eye health issues. Many eye conditions that lead to vision loss are hereditary, such as glaucoma and even diabetes (more on that in a moment). If you know you have relatives that have lost their vision, either entirely or partially, in the past, talk to them about what caused that vision loss so your optometrist can help you to better manage your eye health and detect signs of a developing condition sooner.

Manage Your Blood Sugar Levels

As mentioned above, diabetes is a condition that impacts eye health and also has a hereditary factor. However, it can also be properly managed so that you can avoid serious complications caused by your diabetes. Approximately 90% of all blindness caused by diabetes is preventable with proper care and management. Talk to your primary care doctor about how to properly manage your blood sugar levels so that you can avoid diabetes-related vision loss in the future.

Wear Protective Eyewear

Any time you’re engaging in an activity that has a risk of eye injury, you should be wearing protective eyewear. This can include many kinds of sports, and even home-based activities like performing yard work or doing any kind of woodworking. In these activities, stray pieces of debris can fly up and strike the eye, leading to serious injury and possible vision loss. Wearing goggles, safety shields, or safety glasses can prevent this from happening and causing lifelong consequences.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking is bad for all aspects of your health, and that includes your eye health. Research shows that smoking leads to an increased risk of macular degeneration later in life, as well as cataracts and optic nerve damage. All of these conditions can lead to blindness. If you smoke, you should quit as soon as possible—for these and numerous other reasons. If you don’t smoke, don’t start; it’s simply not worth the risk.

Wear Your Sunglasses

A stylish pair of shades are more than just a great accessory; they’re also a great way to protect your eye health. As much as you may enjoy the sunshine, those UVA and UVB rays are very damaging to your eyes. Protect them as much as possible by wearing sunglasses that block out 99% to 100% of both types of UV radiation. Wearing a hat or visor can also provide some protection to the eyes if you can’t wear sunglasses for any reason.

Take Breaks from the Screens

Many people are in front of computer screens for hours at a time, thanks to screen-based jobs. As much as you may want to stay focused and on task, staring endlessly at a computer screen is bad for your eye health. Instead, follow the 20-20-20 rule when using a computer: Every 20 minutes, focus on an object at least 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds. This reduces eye strain and protects long-term eye health.

If you’re looking for an optometrist, contact Bay Hill Eye Care today. We can provide further tips on protecting your eye health and offer comprehensive family eye care in Orlando, FL, for every member of your family. Call now to schedule your eye exam.