As you age, your eyes also succumb to the ravages of time. On top of living a healthy lifestyle and scheduling regular appointments with your eye doctor, there are proactive ways with which you can slow down the effects of aging on your eyes. Today’s post from NOVA Vision Center features seven bad habits you should avoid.
Rubbing Your Eyes
The skin around your eyes is one of the most delicate areas of exposed skin. Excessive eye rubbing causes the tiny blood vessels under the skin to break, resulting in dark circles and puffy eyes. Place a cold compress over your eyes as a healthy and effective method of stress relief.
Not Wearing Sunglasses
It’s highly important to protect your eyes against the harmful effects of the sun’s rays. When exposed to ultraviolet and high-energy visible (HEV) rays, your eyes age prematurely and the skin on your eyelids becomes sun-damaged. The good news is you don’t have to sacrifice clear vision and younger-looking eyes as there are prescription transition eyeglasses that automatically darken when exposed to sunlight.
Smoking
There are numerous reasons why you should kick this particular habit. There’s overwhelming scientific evidence suggesting that there’s a link between cigarette smoking and the development of sight-threatening diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration. Not to mention that smoking also harms every organ in your body.
Unhealthy Diet
Eating the right kind of foods (and in the right amounts) have numerous benefits, including visual health. Fruits and vegetables help prevent, or at the very least manage, age-related eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.
Not Getting Enough Sleep
Sleeping allows your body to recuperate from the activities of the day. Denying yourself some quality shut-eye makes you prone to headaches, blurry vision, eye twitches and dark circles under your eyes. Note that blurry vision and constant headaches even when you’ve had enough sleep might indicate serious eye problems. It’s best to contact your eye specialist and schedule an eye exam right away.
Dehydration
No matter how busy your schedule gets, it’s important to stay hydrated throughout the day. Signs of dehydration can manifest as headaches and dry skin, especially around the eyes. Not drinking enough water also results in dry eyes.
Skipping Eye Doctor Appointments
Regular eye checkups allow you to keep track of your visual health. Eye exams can also help your doctor detect any vision problems. Not scheduling regular appointments can hinder your ophthalmologist from diagnosing and treating you earlier.
NOVA Vision Center cares about your visual health. It’s our priority to give you personalized eye care products and services. Call us today at (703) 291-0080. We work with patients in Arlington and Falls Church, VA.