The importance of good eye health is something that many of us take for granted. We don’t see the need to take action until we begin to suffer from problems with our eyesight. However, many avoidable lifestyle factors can be damaging to your vision, leaving you unable or struggling to perform everyday tasks.
To help you protect your eyesight, we’ve put together a list of three common lifestyle factors which are known to worsen your eyesight, and what you can do to avoid them.
1. Staring at screens all day long
If you work in an office, chances are that you’re concentrating on computer screens for hours at a time. And if you commute by train or bus, it’s likely that you’ll be scrolling through social media on your smartphone or reading emails on a tablet.
But all this screen time is putting extra pressure on your eyes and causing them to become dry and tired – which contributes to blurred vision and difficulty focusing.
To avoid these symptoms, experts recommend taking regular breaks from looking at screens, blinking frequently when doing so and avoiding close proximity to devices.
2. Smoking
Smoking is bad for just about every part of your body – including your eyes! Smoking increases your risk of developing cataracts (a common age-related eye condition that causes cloudy vision). It also increases your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that causes central vision loss, making it difficult to read or recognize faces clearly.
3. Prolonged exposure to sunlight
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, then you’re more susceptible to sun damage, which can cause a number of eye problems including retinal damage, cataracts, and macular degeneration.
Fortunately, there’s an easy solution to this one: wear sunglasses. Look for shades that offer 100% UVA and UVB protection. This will help keep your eyes healthy and lower your risk of developing serious eye conditions.
