Summer is here and everybody’s out on the beach, fishing by the lake, or barbecuing in the backyard. As it happens, the body is working hard to keep any health hazards at bay, but it needs your help to make any of its efforts successful. Your eyes, in particular, have to keep up with the long list of activities that you and your family are having this summer, and it pays to check whether they are ready for the road ahead. To help you with that, we have an eye checklist prepared for you, something that any Arizona ophthalmologist would recommend you take to maintain a good eyesight.
Wear sun protection.
UV Sunglasses – It is recommend to wear sunglasses every single time you go outside, but it is highly recommended to wear them during summer. It’s the best time to buy new ones for you and your family too. The sun’s harmful rays are just too dangerous to leave your eyes vulnerable to what it can do. You can reduce your risk of getting eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
Make sure you choose the following:
- A UV sunglass that blocks at least 99 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
- Polarized lenses that controls the glare from the sun. It filters the intensely bright reflected light.
Hat – Wearing a hat can give added protection to not just your eyes but your head and face as well, especially beach or sun hats. Your favorite store might have just the hat that will fit your fashion aesthetic or you could just grab whatever is in your closet and you are good to go.
Protect your eyes when taking a swim.
Swim Goggles – Not only do goggles help you maintain your vision when swimming, they also protect your eyes from the salty water of the sea or the contaminated chlorinated water (if you’re unlucky) at your local pool.
Visit your Arizona ophthalmologist.
Eye Exams – Before summer ends, make sure you schedule a visit to your trusted Arizona ophthalmologist. If you have kids, then have them see an eye doctor before school starts to detect any vision problems at an early stage. Remember, in-school vision screenings can never replace eye exams.
Take care of your eyes especially when using the computer.
Take a break from the computer screen every 20 minutes or you can risk getting Computer Vision Syndrome. If you’re starting to experience blurry vision and a string of headaches, visit your Arizona ophthalmologist to have your eyes checked.
Quit smoking. (If you don’t smoke, good for you!)
Smoking kills. It’s a fact and it increases the chances of developing age-related macular degeneration. So if you want to maintain a perfectly good eyesight even when your hair roots turn gray, throw away that pack before it’s too late.
Have a healthy lifestyle.
If your weight is on the heavy side, you might want to rethink your eating pattern and include regular exercise into your weekly schedule of activities. Being overweight or obese is one of the most common risk factors of many eye diseases.
Eat the right kind of food too, from vegetables like kale and spinach to fruits like tomatoes and oranges. Make sure you have your daily dose of fish, oysters, liver, eggs, nuts, and seeds.
Protect your eyes at work.
If you have a high-risk work or involves handling dangerous chemicals, then wear protective gear at all times to protect not only your eyes but your whole body.
If you were able to check everything on the list, then you can be proud of yourself. You are indeed taking good care of your eyes and have nothing to worry about. However, if there are sections on the checklist that you cannot place a check on, then do not fret, you still have the rest of the year to change that. Visit a trusted Arizona ophthalmologist and ask for assistance on how you can achieve these within the year.
