14th October is World Sight Day, an awareness day to focus on the global issue of eye health. World Sight Day was set up by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in 2000 and has been marked in different ways around the world each year since then.
Poor eye health can have a large impact on your quality of life, often causing people to struggle in education and employment. This World Sight Day the IAPB want to encourage governments, corporations, and institutions to support access to eye health for everyone and encourage individuals to think about the importance of their own eye health.
There are 4 easy ways to practice good eye health, the 4 P’s – prevent, protect, preserve, and prioritise.
Prevent
Many common eye conditions can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
- Eat a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals to support your eye health and function and delay the onset of eye conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
- Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight and improve oxygen supply to the eye.
- Quit smoking and reduce alcohol intake.
- Maintain normal blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels with a balanced diet.
Protect
Protecting your eyes from environmental elements is just as important as leading a healthy lifestyle.
- Protect your eyes from UV radiation with a good quality pair of sunglasses that are marked as UV400 as these will filter out up to 99% of UVA and UVB rays.
- If you work in a manufacturing environment or are exposed to hazardous chemicals, excessive heat, or flying particles you must use protective eyewear recommended by occupational standards and guidelines.
- It is also recommended to use safety goggles or spectacles when doing DIY.
- Dispose of any eye cosmetics that are out of date, have changed consistency or used when you had an eye infection.
- Regularly clean your makeup brushes to remove any build up of product and bacteria.
- Take regular breaks away from screens or try to cut down on screen time to avoid eye strain, headaches and dry eyes.
Preserve
Preserve your vision by attending regular eye examinations.
- Including OCT in your eye examination gives our optometrists a detailed 3D view of your eye health.
- Attending regular appointments when advised allows out optometrists to monitor the health of your eyes at each appointment for any changes and detect any eye conditions.
Prioritise
Ensure eye examinations are a regular part of your routine as advised by your optometrist.
- Notify your local opticians if you notice any changes in your vision, this could include flashes of light, blurriness or loss of vision, redness, eye pain and seeing coloured rings around light.
- Inform your optometrist of your family and medical history including any medication you might be taking.
For more information about eye examinations, and your eye health speak to a member of our team today at your local Bush Opticians.