In a study conducted by Translational Vision Services & Technology, among a study pool of over 400,000+ people aged ≥65 years in residential aged care facilities in Australia, over 43% of them had reported having been suffering from an eye condition. Among them, nearly 32% had reported suffering from chronic eye conditions and 19% from acute conditions. The most commonly found chronic eye conditions were glaucoma, cataract, blindness and poor vision. This study paints a picture of how eye conditions become prevalent among populations living in Sydney and Australia. The reason behind such results could be several factors, including genetics, environment and others, along with poor lifestyle choices.
When it comes to health, people frequently discuss general health, which most often doesn’t include eye care. This is an aspect of your health that is often neglected and thus needs a lot more attention as this is an aspect that deteriorates with time and can snowball into several chronic and acute conditions which could often be irreversible.
While the reasons for one’s eye condition to deteriorate may be plenty, one of the most common reasons is poor care and lifestyle choices. Inculcating simple habits, visiting an Eye Specialist in Sydney, and routine care can go a long way in ensuring your eyes are maintained well and the problems are kept at bay.
This article includes a list of lifestyle changes to consider to keep your eyes healthy.
Table of Contents
Reduce Your Screen Time
While no one can deny how crucial electronic devices have become in your daily life, you often spend great durations of time staring at screens when there is no need for it, whether scrolling through your Instagram feed endlessly or bingeing on one Netflix show after another.
Even when indulging in an important task that requires a device, you could use the 20-20-20 rule, where every 20 minutes, you take a break and focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Practising Eye Care Exercises
Just as you exercise your body by hitting the gym or running, your eyes need exercise too. Making a habit out of such practices can go a long way in keeping your eyes in good shape. Eye exercises are elementary and wouldn’t require you to break a sweat. Here are two such simple exercises:
- Blink Breaks: When people are on something for a long duration, they tend to blink less. This can lead to minor headaches and dry eyes in people, which could get worse. Hence, it would help if you took a short break between a task and blinking to restore the normal rate.
- Near and Far Focus: Hold one thumb far away from your face and another close to yours. Focus on the thumb closer to you for 2 seconds, and then focus on the other thumb for another 2 seconds. Then focus on an object away from the thumb and things further away in the room.
Quit Smoking
The ill effects of smoking are well known. Smoking can damage the optic nerves, which could lead to macular degeneration, which could eventually lead to a complete loss of sight.
If you are a smoker and experience signs of vision loss, book an appointment with an Eye Specialist in Sydney who could inspect the damage and educate you on the course of action to take.
Closing Remarks
Along with all the suggestions in this article, one that stands apart from the rest is having your eyes checked by Eye Specialists in Sydney. Most eye conditions go unnoticed, and by the time people do, the chances of reversal decline significantly. Hence avoid neglecting your eye health and have your eyes checked regularly.
