Do you wear contact lenses or eyeglasses to correct your eyes? Do you have 20/20 vision? You might think you are doing things right when it comes to protecting your eyesight. However, adopting a few good habits now will help keep your eyes healthy for years to come.

As you age, your risk of developing some common eye conditions that lead to vision loss tends to increase. Such conditions include age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. Fortunately, there are things you can do to protect the health of your eyes long-term.

Eat Well

Your diet can have a huge effect on the health of your eyes. Nutrients such as vitamins C and E, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and lutein can prevent age-related vision issues such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Thus, you should start filling your plate with oily fish, green leafy veggies, eggs, beans, nuts, pork, oysters, oranges, and other citrus fruits. A healthy diet will also help you maintain a healthy weight. This will lower your chances of developing obesity and related conditions such as type-2 diabetes.

Protect Your Eyes From UV Radiation

Like most people, you probably apply sunscreen to protect your skin before you go outside on sunny days. Are you diligent about protecting your eyes from harmful solar radiation? Excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays can damage your eyes and contribute to problems that can cause vision loss. These include eye cancers, macular degeneration, and cataracts.

Always wear good-quality sunglasses with 99 to 100 percent UV spectrum protection. Wraparound lenses are the best since they protect eyes from the side. If you use contact lenses, you should still wear sunglasses for an extra layer of protection.

Get Annual Eye Examinations

Routine eye examinations should be part of your preventative eye care routine. During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor will likely detect early signs of conditions such as AMD and glaucoma even before they start presenting symptoms. To slow down or minimize vision loss, you must treat such conditions early.

Wash Your Hands

Did you know that people tend to spread many common eye-related diseases by touching the skin around their eyes with unwashed hands? If you want another reason to keep your hands clean, remember that it can keep your eyes healthy.

Conditions such as pink eye, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and staph can pass from your hands to your eyes. These viral and bacterial infections can lead to long-term damage to your eyesight. Unless you just washed your hands, never touch the skin near your eyes.

Rest Your Eyes

You probably spend much time staring at a digital screen. If you are overusing your near vision and not using your distance vision enough, you may develop eye strain and myopia. Furthermore, digital screens emit blue light, which can be very harmful. Thus, it is important to take regular breaks from your screens.

Just because you are not experiencing any symptoms now does not mean you should ignore your eyes. These simple habits will help you improve or maintain the health of your eyes.

To learn about good habits for healthy eyes, visit Eastside Eye Physicians at our offices in Shelby Township or St. Clair Shores, Michigan. You can call (586) 247-2020 or (586) 200-1905 today to schedule an appointment.