The importance of eye health and how it can be maintained
Forming the fundamentals of one of the five senses, our eyes are what give us the beauty of sight. And while every individual has their own visual challenges, potential impairments, and needs in relation to glasses, short sighted fixes and long sighted issues, maintaining the protection of our eye health is an integral part of safeguarding the senses as we grow older.
Of course, there are things you need to and should do to protect the structure around your eyes – as explored later in this blog post.
But one integral element of maintaining good eye health relates to the nutrients that we eat and the things we put into our body.
Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at eye health and how to optimise it.
What is eye health?
Eye health refers to the way that you look after and nurture your eyes – in terms of actions taken to protect the eyes, and the nutrients you take which maintain eye function, which reduce the development of diseases which affect the eyes, and which protect the eyes against harmful light and UV rays.
When we talk about eye health at Inspired Health, we aim to promote the idea of eyes being nurtured to stay soothed and hydrated, while reducing irritation boosting normal vision. As you age, eye health becomes more important than ever, so starting young when it comes to healthy eye maintenance is key.
Below are some effective ways to improve the health of your eyes – as well as details of selected supplemental products which can also support eye health.
1. Eat right for good sight
It’s well documented that omega 3 fatty acids are important for maintaining healthy eyes and vision. Vitamin A is also essential for eye health. Found mainly in dairy products and those products derived from animals, a deficiency in vitamin A can cause all sorts of problems related to the eyes.
For those who live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, vitamin A can also be found in some fruit and vegetables including kale and carrots – with the core ingredient to look for being provitamin A carotenoids.
Other vitamins and nutrients that play an integral role when it comes to good eye health include vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc.
2. Exercise regularly
When you get active and exercise regularly, you lower your risk of certain health conditions which could potentially arise and lead to eye problems – with some of the biggest offenders being diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
3. Get a good night’s sleep
Looking at screens all day can cause your eyes to become dry – as can a lack of rest. Getting a good night’s sleep allows your eyes to hydrate and rest.
4. Don’t smoke
Smoking causes a whole host of damage to the body, including to the eyes. This is because smoking can increase the chance of you contracting diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts, as well as harming the optic nerve inside your eyes.
5. Use goggles to protect your eyes
This may seem obvious, but when working with or around harmful substances, flying objects, or chemicals which can harm the eyes, wearing goggles is a quick but effective safety precaution to protect them.
6. Limit the amount of alcohol that you drink
Alcohol has both short term and long term affects on vision and the health of your eyes, causing instant and short term blurriness which, when consumed to excess, can lead to a series of potential issues including cataracts, damage to the optic nerve, macular degeneration, and an increase in migraines.
7. Protect your eyes against the damaging effects of UV light
If you don’t already wear sunglasses when out and about on bright days, this is the sign you need to pick up a pair of UV sunglasses and start wearing them!
8. Watch your weight and maintain a healthy BMI
If you have a high BMI or are considered overweight, you have a higher chance of developing an eye disease. This is because of the higher risk of diabetes, with studies proving a link between obesity and eye disease.
9. Drink plenty of water
Maintaining good eye health is all about hydrating the eyes and keeping the body healthy.
10. Have regular eye examinations
If you’re concerned about any of the above factors in maintaining good eye health, or you simply want to monitor your eyes and vision, regular eye tests and examinations will help to spot any potential issues or health risks early, so that you can make the chances necessary to safeguard your senses.
11. Take a supplement
Finally, effective supplements can help to support eye health.
Here at Inspired Health, our Eye Logic range and Macu Complete products are designed to combine the nutrients that are needed for optimum eye health – all delivered in a series of accessible formats depending on your preference.
Explore the Inspired Health category pages to discover our full range of eye-supporting products, available in a variety of different formats including capsules, eye drops and eye sprays.