Top 5 Resolutions for Better Eye Health in 2020

A new year naturally means it’s time for new resolutions! It’s common to center your resolutions around vows to eat healthier, get more active and ditch some bad habits, so including your eye health in your 2020 resolutions is a great idea. Taking care of your eyesight throughout the year is the best way to ensure that you’ll be able to see through many New Year’s to come!

Though it does take a bit of a commitment, it’s not difficult to stay on top of your eye health. Making some of these resolutions will help you make it an easy choice for the new year.

Make a plan for healthier eyes in 2020

Did you know? At Envision Eye Care we’re all about keeping your vision at 20/20 for 2020 and beyond! Visit our Oakville Vision clinic for exams. New patients welcome!

Protect Your Eyes

Sunglasses aren’t just important in the summer! In fact, they might even be more necessary in the winter months. With bright white snow covering the ground the sun’s reflection into the eyes can actually be even stronger than when there’s no snow to reflect off of. This is true even if the sun isn’t bright in the sky: even on cloudy days the sun can cause damage to your eyes.

It’s easy to tell when your skin is reacting negatively to the sun, but harder to know when your eyes are. Sun damage on your eyes can lead to corneal sunburn, macular degeneration and even some forms of eye cancer so protecting your eyes in the winter is definitely something to stay on top of.

Protecting your eyes isn’t just important in the bright sun, it’s also something you want to do in hazardous work environments and while playing sports, too. Getting poked in the eye or having debris get into your eye can have lasting effects on both your vision and your overall eye health.

Improve your eating habits

Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts can have a positive effect on more than just your waistline. These foods are full of nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, Omega 3s and antioxidants which are all major factors in maintaining eye health.

Eating a diet that is good for your eyes can help stave off eye diseases like dry eye syndrome, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular regeneration.

Give your eyes a rest

With the near-constant presence of screens nowadays it’s becoming essential to give your eyes a break periodically to make sure they stay as healthy as possible. Staring at screens that are too close for too long can lead to eye strain and conditions like chronic dry eye syndrome.

When using screen devices for extended periods the best way to protect your eyes is to practice the 20-20-20 rule where you take a break every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This is also a good habit to teach your kids so that they can start protecting their eyesight from a young age.

Quit smoking

While quitting smoking might already be on your resolutions list for the new year, protecting your eye health is another reason to keep it on there. A bad habit like smoking is not only expensive, it can also cause some pretty serious long-term issues with your eyes. Studies have shown that smoking can lead to dry eye syndrome, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and even diabetic retinopathy. Reducing or eliminating your tobacco use can significantly decrease your chances of experiencing these eye diseases.

Schedule your yearly eye exam

Visiting your eye doctor on a regular basis can help you stay ahead of any potential eye concerns. If you wear glasses this once a year exam will ensure your prescription stays up to date and will give your optometrist the opportunity to note and monitor any changes in your overall eye health. Your eye doctor can often see things that you can’t, so scheduling a yearly visit with them can help you ensure that your eye health is on track.

Make your eye health a resolution this year

As you start this year off and are thinking about your resolutions for 2020, keep your eye health in mind. Committing to make some or all of these changes in order to maintain your eye health will make it easy to keep your vision in top shape for years to come!