It’s no surprise that what we put into our bodies directly impacts our health and wellbeing. But when we think about our health, we often forget to think about our eyes. Just like our other organs, our eyes need vitamins, nutrients, exercise and rest. If you’re wondering how to naturally improve eyesight, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Make Sure to Get the Right Minerals and Vitamins

Our eyes benefit from a few key vitamins and minerals, including zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins C, A and E. Together, these help to protect the eyes against macular degeneration and prevent them from deteriorating. 

Here are some veggies and fruits to include in your daily diet:

  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Red peppers
  • Strawberries
  • Citrus fruits
  • Sweet potato
  • Salmon
  • Flaxseed

Focus Mostly on Carotenoids

Carotenoids are located in the retina and help to protect against pigment density, ultraviolet light, and they help to improve eyesight in general. Some key foods to focus on for essential carotenoids are eggs, zucchini, dark green leafy veggies and broccoli. Supplements are also available.

Maintain Physical Exercise

Damage to blood vessels in the eyes is common among those who are obese and have type 2 diabetes, also known as Diabetic Retinopathy. This can place pressure on the artery walls located in the retina, which can damage your vision. Since diabetes is a risk for those who are overweight, it’s important to maintain a healthy weight and perform regular exercise to stay fit. You should also get your blood sugar levels checked on a regular basis.

Wear Eyewear to Protect Your Eyes

Wearing the right eyewear to protect your eyes is one of the easiest ways to keep them healthy. Whether you’re renovating at home, working on your car, using chemicals in a lab experiment or using the weed wacker on the lawn, always wear protective eyewear to shield them from flying debris and to minimize the risk of injury.

Get Chronic Conditions Under Control

If you suffer from other chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis or high blood pressure, these indicate that there’s a high amount of inflammation in your body. Inflammation affects everything, including your vision. Adopting healthier habits like eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly can help to manage and keep these conditions under control.

Don’t Forget the Sunglasses

Sunglasses aren’t just fashionable, they’re crucial for safeguarding and improving your eyesight. From macular degeneration to blurred vision to cataracts – sunglasses protect your eyes from a slew of potential damage that can be caused by excessive sun exposure. When you’re shopping for your next pair, make sure that they’re from a reputable eyecare company and they can block out at least 99% of the UVA and UVB rays. We also recommend wearing a hat that has a rim to add an extra layer of shade over top of your eyes. 

If You Smoke, Try to Quit

The risk of developing serious eye problems like macular degeneration and cataracts is much greater for those who smoke. So if you’re still smoking, now’s the time to quit, especially if you have a family history of eye problems and are noticing changes with your vision. Many parts of the body, including your eyes, can quickly begin to recover after quitting, which lowers the impacts of inflammation and benefits your blood vessels.

Practice the 20-20-20 Rule

These days, we spend a lot of time staring at our screens. With so much for our eyes to focus on, they need regular breaks to reduce all of that strain. This is where the 20-20-20 rule can help. No matter where you are, try to break away from work every 20 minutes, find something located approximately 20 feet away and keep looking at it for 20 seconds. This will help to relax the eyes and let them rest and recoup before jumping back into work.

Get to Know Your Family History

It’s a good idea to learn about your family’s health history since there are many conditions that are hereditary, including eye conditions like retinal degeneration, glaucoma, optic atrophy and age-related macular degeneration. Talk to your parents or grandparents to learn if they’ve suffered from any vision problems. This can give you a better understanding of what to be aware of so you can take certain actions now to safeguard against them. 

Laurier Optical Eye Clinic is here to take good care of your vision. Contact us today to schedule an eye exam.