5 Tips for Healthy Vision

Forty percent of Americans say they worry more about losing their eyesight than their ability to walk or hear, according to the American Optometric Association's annual American Eye-Q survey. To protect your eyesight, the AOA recommends these tips:


1. Schedule yearly comprehensive exams.

2. Protect against ultraviolet rays by wearing sunglasses year-round. Choose a pair that blocks more than 95 percent of ultraviolet A (long-wave) and more than 99 percent of ultraviolet B (short-wave) radiation.

3. Give your eyes a break from digital device use. The AOA recommends that people practice the 20/20/20 rule (every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away).

4. Eat your greens. Six nutrients antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, essential fatty acids, vitamins C and E, and the mineral zinc have been identified as helping to protect eyesight and promote eye health.

5. Practice safe wear and care of contact lenses. Contact lens wearers who don't follow their optometrist's recommendations for use and wear can experience symptoms such as blurred or fuzzy vision, red or irritated eyes, pain in and around the eyes or a more serious condition in which the cornea becomes inflamed, also known as keratitis.