Eye Health Info: Stop Putting Your Vision at Risk
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Posted On :
Aug-12-2010
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Article Word Count :
891
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At what price would you sell your eyesight? A million dollars? Ten million? A hundred million? Odds are that most people wouldn’t sell their vision for any amount of money. Being able to see is literally invaluable.
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At what price would you sell your eyesight? A million dollars? Ten million? A hundred million? Odds are that most people wouldn’t sell their vision for any amount of money. Being able to see is literally invaluable.
Now imagine if you owned a painting that was worth an unimaginable amount of money. You would do everything you possible could to protect it. You would read up on ways to preserve it and prevent the colors from fading and the paint from deteriorating. You would make sure that painting is in as good a shape ten, twenty, and thirty years down the road as it is now.
Even though our eyesight is just as invaluable as that hypothetical painting, most of us don’t take the necessary precautions to protect our vision. We only get one pair of eyes and although our lives would be forever changed without them, we too often take them for granted.
Luckily there are lots of habits that have been scientifically proven to help maintain good vision. Of course, age and genetics play major roles concerning eye health, but there are several practices that are good for everybody. Here are a few ways that you can help to keep your eyes healthy.
Get Regular Checkups
Take a look at your health care coverage. A lot of plans actually include one visit to the eye doctor every year. The reason for this is simple. If your eye doctor can diagnose developing problems early on, it will be much easier and cheaper to treat them. Insurance companies know that preventative checkups will save them money in the long run, so they normally include that in your package. If you can go every year for free, take advantage of it.
Even if you don’t have coverage in your insurance package, it is worth the money every other year to make sure that your eyes are in good health. If you wait too long to have a problem diagnosed, the bills will be exponentially higher and you could be stuck with permanent eye damage.
People who are over the age of sixty-five or individuals with diabetes should make sure that they see the eye doctor at least once a year though. They are at a much higher risk for common eye ailments and should monitor their vision closely.
Wear Sunglasses
Everybody knows that when you are out in the sun, you should wear sunscreen. Now you obviously can’t put sunscreen on your eyeballs, but you can put on a pair of sunglasses.
Exposure to ultraviolet, or UV, rays has been linked to all kinds of eye problems. Bright light can damage your retina and overexposure to UV rays may cause problems in the front part of your eye. There is also evidence to support that constant exposure year after year to bright UV rays can lead to cataracts developing. A cataract makes it appear that the lens of your eye is slowly clouding over.
Sunglasses are a cheap and easy way to prevent all these problems. Plus, they look cool. If you have eyeglasses and don’t want to pony up the cash for expensive prescription sunglasses, you can always find a cheap pair of clip-ons at any convenience or drug store.
Eat Your Vitamins
Everybody knows the old maxim about eating carrots to maintain good vision. Well, it is actually true. Beyond that, any food that has a lot of vitamin A (including sweet potatoes and apricots) is good for your vision.
It doesn’t stop at vitamin A though. Vitamin C (found in citrus fruits and broccoli) and vitamin E (found in protein-rich foods like nuts and eggs) have also been linked to promoting healthy vision.
Moderate Your Alcohol and Tobacco Intake
Drinking and smoking too much has already been proven to cause so many health risks that it should be common sense by now to ease up on the boozing. If it hasn’t sunk in already, overindulgence in these two vices has now been linked to causing macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration is a disorder that attacks the macula, which is the center of the retina. As it progresses, it makes it more and more difficult to see small details. It is caused by damage to the blood vessels that feed the macula. With all the blood pressure problems that smoking and drinking cause, it is no wonder these things are linked.
Monitor Your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
This was already touched on in the previous tip, but keeping an eye (no pun intended) on your blood pressure and cholesterol levels is very important to maintaining good eye health. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help lower your cholesterol and eliminating stress in your daily life can lower your blood pressure.
Have a salad and take a nice relaxing walk. Doing that every day will help both your vision and your soul.
It is easy to forget about how valuable our vision is. We take it for granted until the day it is impaired. Don’t wait until that day to appreciate the gift of your eyesight. Follow these simple tips and take charge of your eye health today.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Eye Health Info: Stop Putting Your Vision at Risk_28926.aspx
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Author Resource :
Paula Masi is a freelance writer who writes about health, eye care and specific products and where to purchase them such as contact lenses online.
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Keywords :
contact lenses online,
Category :
Health and Fitness
:
Beauty
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