As people get older, different parts of their bodies begin to wear out or not work as well as they once did. For many people, one area that can change a lot in just a short amount of time is their vision.
While there’s not much you can do once your vision starts to go, there are things you can do to help protect your eyes and keep them healthy even as your age increases. To show you how this can be done, here are three ways to care for your vision as you age.
Wear Quality Sunglasses
One thing that really wreaks havoc with your eyes is the sun. Just like how your skin can get damaged by too much sun exposure, your eyes can easily be damaged in this same way.
To combat this, it’s important that you wear quality sunglasses that will block the harmful rays of the sun from getting in your eyes too much. According to Dr. Albert S. Jun, a contributor to Johns Hopkins Medicine, everyone should be wearing sunglasses that block both UV-A and UV-B light waves. Additionally, you should opt for bigger sunglasses rather than small ones. The bigger the sunglasses are and the better they wrap around your head, the more completely your eyes will be protected from sun damage.
Don’t Overexert Your Eyes
Another thing that can hurt your eyes and cause you to have vision problems to a larger extent than may naturally come with age is overexertion of your eyes. This can happen in any number of ways.
According to Anne-Marie Botek, a contributor to AgingCare.com, most people overexert their eyes by looking at screens for too long. To keep your eyes from working too hard for too long, you should try following the 20-20-20 Rule. With this rule, you should take a break from looking at screens after about 20 minutes. During your break, you should look at something that’s about 20 feet away from you for about 20 seconds before you resume looking at your screen. This will give your eyes the break they need to better protect your vision.
Know The Warning Signs
While some vision changes are just part of growing older, other changes to your vision could be a sign that something more serious is taking place.
The American Optometric Association shares that things like fluctuations in your vision, seeing floaters or flashing, losing your peripheral vision, or seeing distorted images could all be signs of bigger problems with your eyes or other health problems. If you experience any of these, make sure you visit a doctor to see what’s really going on.
If you want to keep your eyes working their best long after your hair starts turning gray, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just this.
