Building an Eye Health Routine Like You Build a Fitness Routine | Save Your Vision Month

When most people consider a health routine, they may think about hitting the gym, meeting their protein goals, and counting their steps. These practices are great components of a health and fitness routine. However, your eyes and vision are also essential to your overall health and wellness. 

March is Save Your Vision Month. It provides a reminder to take inventory of what you're doing to keep your eyes healthy and preserve your vision. 
​ 

Your visual system works best when it's consistently protected and supported. The good news is that even if your habits have not been top-notch, it's never too late to start. 

You can use the same principles you use to develop a fitness plan to develop an overall eye health routine, including preventative care, consistency, and recovery. 
​

Vision is part of functional health

Functional fitness is a type of exercise training that prepares your body for real-life movements such as pushing, pulling, and standing. These types of movements are used in everyday activities.

In your vision, a measure of eye health is not only whether you see 20/20. Overall eye health includes peripheral vision, light adaptation, visual clarity, and contrast sensitivity.

Your vision is also important to your overall functional health. It impacts your cognitive processing, reaction time, balance, and overall wellness and independence. 

Considering the overall importance of your vision for your functional health, it helps you understand how vital it is to not just react to vision problems. Instead, take a preventive, proactive approach.
​

Start with a baseline eye exam

When you start an exercise program, you may have an assessment by your physician or a personal trainer to ensure everything is OK. The same thing applies to your eyes. Having a comprehensive baseline eye exam allows your eye doctor to evaluate your retinal health, the appearance of your optic nerve, eye pressure, and early signs of eye disease. 

Certain eye conditions, such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, often do not cause noticeable symptoms in the early stages, but they can be diagnosed through an eye exam.
​

Give your eyes proper recovery time

When you think about it, you use your vision almost the entire day, from the time you wake up to the time you close your eyes at night. Just like your body needs recovery time after exercise, so do your eyes. For instance, if you spend hours staring at a computer screen at work and then come home and look at the television or cellphone, this can contribute to dry eyes and digital eyestrain.  

Try to take frequent breaks from digital devices. This may involve getting up and walking away for a few minutes or something as simple as the 20-20-20 rule. This involves every 20 minutes looking about 20 ft away for 20 seconds. Think of the 20-20-20 rule as the equivalent of taking a rest between sets of exercises. It gives your eyes a break.
​

Protect your eyes like you protect your muscles and joints

You protect your muscles and joints by wearing the proper shoes and protective gear, such as a knee brace. It's equally important to practice wearing the proper eye protection for the activity you're doing. For example, excess UV exposure contributes to eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Wearing sunglasses that provide 100% UVB and UVA protection is one way to reduce your risk of these diseases.

It's also critical to wear impact-resistant eyewear when playing sports, such as pickleball and racquetball, which can lead to eye injuries. 
​

Remain consistent

Just like exercising once in a while won't build muscle, practicing healthy eye habits occasionally won't provide the best protection. 

No quick fix or miracle replaces consistent eye care. According to the American Society of Retina Specialists, ways to improve eye health include: 

• Consistently wearing sunglasses
• Eating a well-balanced diet, including foods rich in Omega-3s 
• Getting regular exercise
• Not smoking
• Getting regular eye exams

If you have any questions about how to keep your eyes healthy, we are happy to help. Also, if you would like to schedule an eye appointment with one of our eye doctors, please call our office at 508-746-8600.