Tips to maintain eye health?

Question

I wear contacts and seldom wear glasses. One day I might consider laser surgery to correct my vision. I'm almost 26 years old. I want my eyes to be healthy and I am willing to do whatever it takes- including giving up vices and bad habits. How do you keep your eyes healthy as you get older?

Answer 1

Well, keep wearing your contacts. By not wearing them, it weakens your eye. Make sure to keep the area of your eyes clean. If you have makeup on your eyes, remove it every night before bed to make the possibilty of infection much less. Also, make sure you don't share eye makeup, or even face cloths used to wipe eyes with other people. It greatly increases the chances of getting an eye infection from other people. Make sure you see an eye doctor regularly, in order to maintain the overall health of your eye through yearly checkups to make sure nothing has become worse.  Theres always the whole "eat lots of carrots!" idea too.

Answer 2

Try not to stare too long at the tv or computer at a time..close or stare at a faraway distance and massage your eyes and temples to relax your eye muscles..sit at a correct distance as well.

Answer 3

The only thing I would add to the previous answer is to wear sunglasses when you're in the sun.  Long-term exposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration.

Answer 4

First, make sure to take proper care of your contacts:

-always wash your hands

-never use tap water on your contacts or case

-don't wear contacts if they are damaged or if they hurt or irritate your eyes

-always rub your contacts in solution before storing them (even if your solution is "no-rub")

-use new solution everyday

-get a new case every three months

-don't overwear them

-never sleep overnight in them (unless they are meant to be worn overnight)

Second, computers and TVs don't have any longterm effects on your vision.  At worst, they cause eyestrain, fatigue, and headaches.  To avoid these:

-have your computer at least arm's length away

-have your environment lighting the same as the brightness of your screen

-look away (in the distance) for twenty seconds every twenty minutes

-make sure to blink frequently or use eye drops to keep your eyes lubricated

Third, some other reminders include:

-always wear sunglasses with full UV protection (as the other post said)

-wear safety glasses around the house when doing tasks that could possibly hurt your eyes

-watch for changes in your eyes (larger pupil, redness, blurry vision, etc.); see an optometrist if you have an alarming change

-always get yearly checkups so your eye health can be evaluated by a professional

Finally, eating carrots doesn't improve your vision.  :)  Of course your eyes, like every part of your body, need vitamins and nutrients, and having a lack of Vitamin A is bad for your eyes.  But having excess vitamins doesn't help you see better.  As long as you're eating a balanced diet, you should be fine.

Okay, this is long, but hopefully you'll get some new ideas out of it.  Good luck!