No matter where you’re at in life or how old you are, protecting your eyes as you age is a nonnegotiable. Especially to our team at Nicola Eye Care.
Imagine what life would be like without being able to see. For some, this is the reality they live in. But for others, living life without the ability to see is nothing more than a what if.
If you’re like most, you’d probably like to live as much of your life with perfect vision as you can. That’s why we’ve taken the time to put together a short guide including 8 easy steps you can take to ensure your eyesight remains crisp and clear.
Already know you’re way overdue for an eye exam? We’ve got you covered! Book your appointment now while it’s on your mind. Been a minute since your last check-in? No worries! We’ve put a step-by-step of what to expect during your eye doctor appointment to ease your nerves.
Protecting Your Eyes as You Age in 8 Easy Steps
According to the Canadian National Institute of the Blind (CNIB), 5.5 million Canadians currently live with eye disease that may eventually lead to blindness. These diseases may include, but are not limited to, macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. The CNIB predicts that these disease and vision loss instances will grow 30% within the next decade.
We want to help you get ahead of this and start adopting these 8 easy steps into your daily routine to protect your eyes.
Protecting your eyesight as you age is essential to living a happy and healthy life. Take your time while reading over the 8 steps below, take note of them, and start implementing them in your daily life.
Know Your Risk Level for Eye Diseases
Your family history is extremely important when it comes to protecting your eyes. For example, a history of high blood pressure or diabetes in your family automatically increases your risk for sight-threatening eye disease.
Although you cannot change your family history, you can play your part in fighting it. Schedule regular eye exams (if you’re in Kamloops, BC you can visit us!) to ensure that an early diagnosis of any developing eye disease can be made. This will not only allow you to limit the amount of any visual deficits but also preserve your eye health as a whole. Everyone wins!
Schedule Regular Physicals With Your Family Doctor
By scheduling regular physicals with your doctor, you can catch any diabetes or high blood pressure problems that may be arising. Diabetes or high blood pressure that isn’t caught early, or left untreated entirely, can lead to permanent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, or optic nerve strokes.
Monitor Vision Changes
Any sudden changes in your vision should be reported to one of our Optometrists at our Kamloops clinic immediately. This may include blurred vision, double vision, hazy vision, spots or specks “floating in front of your eyes”, and/or difficulty seeing in low light.
By reporting any change in your vision, you give our Canadian Optometrists the information to properly make an early diagnosis. As mentioned above, this can help prevent extensive damage to your eyes.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
Any exercise, even walking, has been shown to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by up to 70% according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
If you approach exercising like it is a chore, you will likely not stick with it for long. Make exercise fun by turning into some sort of game or doing it with friends or family. Even a short game of basketball on the driveway with the kids helps.
Make sure you’re picking types of exercise that you enjoy doing. It’ll make it easier to keep up the routine and life’s too short to be doing something you deeply dislike!
Wear Sunglasses
As we are sure you are aware, the sun emits harmful UV rays that can burn our skin if exposed for too long or without protection. These same UV rays are capable of damaging our eyes as well.
By wearing a pair of sunglasses, you can shield your eyes from up to 100% of the sun’s UV rays. This can reduce your chances of developing cataracts, pinguecula (yellow bump on the eye), or sunburn on the eye.
Realizing that you need a new pair od shades immediately if not sooner? If you’re in the Kamloops, BC, Canada area, come visit us at Nicola Eye Care! We have over 200 styles in stock, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. Our team will help you pick the perfect pair for you and can help add your prescription in if needed.
Schedule Regular Eye Exams
Regardless of whether you have a previous family history of eye disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure, you should still schedule regular eye examinations every 1-2 years. Early detection and prevention are key to thwarting eye disease before it has its chance to damage your vision.
If you’re due (or overdue) for an eye appointment with an optometrist and live in Kamloops, BC, book your next check-in with us!
Quit Smoking
You’ve gone your whole life hearing about all the dangers of smoking cigarettes, but did you know it can also damage your eyes?
If the other side effects of smoking cigarettes didn’t scare you, causing damage to your eyes should! People who smoke are at a greater risk of developing macular degeneration, cataracts, uveitis, and many more eye problems.
Not to downplay quitting, it’s extremely hard. But protecting your eyes and health is so important as you age. Once you put your mind to it, we know you can do it!
Hear it From The Pros
We hope you feel inspired and empowered to approach protecting your eyes as you age! Of course, the above list is a very brief and concentrated guide to keeping your eyes healthy as you age. There are so many other things you can do to set yourself up for better eye-sight success, like eating healthy.
If you’re looking for more information and ways to keep your vision clear and your eyes healthy, visit our Kamloops, BC clinic and speak to one of our optometrists. Through years of education and experience, our Optometrists are well-equipped to suit all your needs. Plus, we have really delicious coffee.