Everyone knows sunglasses are cool, but what you may not know is that they can protect your vision. You might be saying “I thought sunglasses were just an accessory?” Well, they are an accessory! but they are also a utility. Sunglasses have been a fashion accessory for a very long time, but they can also block harmful rays from the sun.

Choosing the correct shades can help to not only protect your vision but also protect your face and reduce wrinkles as you age. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays will cause permanent damage to your eye health with excessive exposure if left unprotected.

As mentioned previously, the suns UV rays can cause irreversible damage to your cornea, eyelids, lens and other areas of the eye. Certain studies even suggest that excessive amounts of UV radiation exposure to your eyes will increase risks of developing macular degeneration, pterygium and cataracts.

Not all sunglasses are the same however, when choosing the right pair of sunglasses, you need to make sure that the ones you are choosing block the necessary amount of UV rays to protect your vision. Contrary to popular belief, the darkness of the lens, does not have anything to do with the amount of UV rays that are blocked. Here are some things you should be on the lookout for when picking out a new pair of sunglasses:

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• Labeled to block 99 – 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays
• Screen 75 to 90 percent of visible light
• Lenses are free from distortions and imperfections

Over 20 million people in North America alone suffer from severe vision loss. Not all of these eye diseases can be prevented or cured, but there are some things you can do to help your eyes remain healthy and possibly lower your risks of developing serious vision loss.

Here are 4 things you can do to avoid severe vision loss:

1.Utilize UV blocking sunglasses:Overexposure to the suns harmful UV rays can increase your risks of developing cataracts. Sunglasses that are certified to block 95 to 100 percent of UVA-A and UV-B rays can protect your eyes against the suns harmful rays. These sunglasses prevent retinal damage and protect your eyelids being sunburned as well—a nice side effect of this is it also helps prevent wrinkles.

2.Don’t smoke:At this point it probably has begun to sound like a broken record, but you should avoid smoking and if you smoke already then it is time to quit! Aside from the risk of lung cancer, smoking can cause some serious side effects to your eyes as well. Smoking increases your risks of developing cataracts and accelerates age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

3.Take your vitamins:If you have a vitamin deficiency it can impair your retinal functions. There is some truth behind the “eat your carrots” eye health claims, but in all actuality, there are a lot of other vegetables out there that can be just as beneficial, if not more beneficial for your retinal health. Studies have shown that diets with high levels of vitamin E and C, lutein, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and zeaxanthin can help to reduce your risks of developing advanced AMD.

4.Regular eye screenings:Just because you aren’t showing any signs of eye disease does not mean you aren’t at risk of eye disease. You should get regular vision screenings to properly assess and maintain your eye health. Not all eye diseases show visible symptoms early in their development, so it is important to catch those diseases early to properly treat or slow down the progression of said eye disease. It is important to consult your eye care physician and set up routine screenings to properly maintain your eye health, especially if your family has a history with eye disease.

We always try out best when it comes to protecting our skin, but not enough of us take the same care to protect our eyesight. Protecting your eyesight is very important and essential if you hope to have good quality vision by the time you are in your 40s.

Your risk of vision loss gets higher and higher as you get older and if you don’t take care of your vision while you are young those risks get even worse.

Here are 4 things you can do to make sure you’re taking care of your eyesight:

1.Avoid digital eye strain:Screens are everywhere we go, so it is hard to avoid them. Staring at screens for long periods of time can result in what is called “digital eye strain.” Digital eye strain can result in your eyes hurting and feeling dry, you can also experience headaches. There is something simple and easy that you can do to help protect your eyes against digital eye strain and it is called the “20-20-20 rule.” What this means is every 20 minutes of time spent staring at a screen you should take a 20 second break to stare at something 20 feet away. It may sound silly, but this will help your eyes reset and prevent symptoms of eye strain.

2.Exercise proper contact lens usage:This means you need to take them out before bed and wash them using only contact lens cleaning solution. Sleeping in your contacts increases your risk of developing serious eye complications such as eye infection. You may be tempted to lick your contact lens to clean it, but this is a terrible idea. Our mouths are full of all kinds of bacteria which don’t belong in our eyes!

3.Get your eyes checked regularly:Make sure to never skip your annual eye exam. Not all eye diseases have visible symptoms right away, so it is important to get your eyes scanned frequently so you can catch these potential eye risks early.

4.Utilize eye protection:Approximately 2.5 million eye injuries occur in North America every year, so it is important that you are taking the necessary steps to protection your vision from possible dangers. Eye injuries most commonly occur while playing sports such as baseball and football or doing DIY projects such as gardening and home repair. Make sure the eye protection you use is always up to ANSI-approved standards so that it can properly protect your vision.

So it is Spring! The beautiful season of blooming flowers and life, but wait isn’t there something else about Spring that isn’t so great? Right! The allergies! How could we forget about the allergies? Runny nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, irritated skin—all the good stuff! Spring is certainly a beautiful season, but the itchy eyes can be a real drag! So what can you do to protect your eyes during the Spring time to reduce irritation?

Here are a 3 things you can do this Spring to protect your eyes:

Wear Some Sunglasses

We recommend wearing sunglasses when you are outside, not only is this going to protect your eyes from the suns harmful rays, but it will also help to stop pollen from blowing into your eyes! Also, wearing some slick shades in the Spring is a great look!

Wash Those Hands

This is cleanliness 101 people! Always make sure your hands are clean, especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors. Pollen can easily get on your hands and the average person touches their face a lot every day. This creates a situation where you can rub pollen into your eyes and cause a lot of irritation and redness. Probably not a bad idea to keep some eye drops handy to keep your eyes clear of pollen.

Filter That Air

Obviously, when you are outdoors you are exposed to a lot of allergens in the Spring, but the indoors can be just as bad. Pollen is so small that it can easily blow through the screens on your windows, so if you regularly have the windows open, expect to deal with the same allergy issues you would deal with in the outdoors. One thing you can do to help reduce the allergens in the air in your home is to get a high efficiency particular air (HEPA) filter. This air filter will help to regular the air in your home and remove allergens.

Spring is in the air as they say, just make sure you are taking precautions to protect your eyes from pollen and other free radicals. Most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy this beautiful time of year!

We value our eyesight above many things, but not a lot of us think about how to best protect our vision as we get older. Every day we are faced with decisions that can have an effect on our vision over time. It is important that we take the time to think about our eye health and do what we can do help maintain good vision.

Here are 3 simple things that you can do to protect your vision:

1. Keep screens at an arm’s reach

In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with digital devices and computer screens. We use them at work, we use them at home and we see them in almost every store and restaurant—everywhere we look there are digital devices! The brightness of these computer monitors can cause our eyes to become strained. Studies also show that while looking at digital devices we blink a lot less than usual.

If possible we should try to keep screens about an arm’s length away from our eyes to reduce the strain.

2. Don’t forget to blink

We typically blink 15 to 20 times a minute, but when we are using digital screens we blink about half as much. Blinking plays an important role in refreshing the surface of our eyes. When we blink, tears are spread over our cornea and like a windshield wiper it wipes away dust and other free radicals. If like many others, you work with computers on a daily basis then probably regularly deal with symptoms of digital eye strain and dry eye. One technique you can utilize to reduce these symptoms is the 20/20/20 rule—this rule states that every 20 minutes you should look away from your computer at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will allow your eyes to blink more naturally and give them an opportunity to reset.

3. Eat your greens

Yes, yes, yes… We have all heard that we need to eat our carrots to maintain good vision, but there are a lot of other good food choices out there that have benefits for your eye health. Green vegetables are actually some of the best options for your eye health because they are jammed with lutein and zeaxanthin. These two nutrients are said to reduce the effects of excessive exposure to digital screens and other sources of glare.

Recent studies suggest that exercise can help to alleviate some eye pressure, which can potentially help if you have glaucoma. Now you might be thinking, “well, how much do I need to work out to get results?” The great thing is, you don’t need to work out rigorously to see results.

Studies show that you can lower your Intraocular Pressure (IOP) by doing exercises that raise your pulse only by 20%. You can raise your pulse by 20% by simply taking a 20 minute walk four times a week. Regular exercise might be helpful in preventing vision loss from glaucoma, but only an eye doctor can accurately assess your situation and tell you if exercise is helping you.

There are some forms of glaucoma, such as pigmentary glaucoma, that exercises do not have a positive affect on. In certain forms of glaucoma vigorous exercise can actually cause an increase in Intraocular Pressure.

While exercise can have benefits in lowering your Intraocular Pressure, you should consult with an eye care physician to know if it is the right decision for you. Exercise is great for your overall health, but can not be treated as a substitute for glaucoma medication designed to lower your IOP.