Healthy Living • YMCA Health and Fitness
Time to take a good look at your eye health
13 October 2016 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
We share lots of important information about physical and mental health. But what about eye health? According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 180 million visually disabled people worldwide, including up to 45 million people who are blind. And since the population is growing and people are living longer, “these numbers are expected to double by the year 2020.”
Today is World Sight Day — an event held every year to raise awareness around the world about prevention of and treatment for vision loss. So, in honour of World Sight Day, here’s a reminder to think about your eye health.
Routine eye exams are important regardless of your age. When you see your eye doctor for a full exam, the doctor isn’t just checking your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses. An eye doctor is also checking your eyes for common eye diseases, assessing how your eyes work, and evaluating your eyes as an indicator of your overall health. Often doctors can detect chronic diseases in our system such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Aging also factors into this equation. Just as we may experience a decrease in physical strength with age, our eyes also show an age-related decline in performance — particularly as we reach our 60's and beyond. Some conditions may start beginning around age 40, including presbyopia and cataracts. Presbyopia is the condition when people start to experience blurred near-vision when reading, using a smart phone or working at a computer. The second type of eye vision problems is cataracts, a clouding of the eyes’ natural lens that lies behind the iris and the pupil.
With the potential eyesight conditions that may occur particularly as we age, prevention is key.
These are tips we can all practice for the health of our eyes. Remember, that prevention and early treatment are both important for healthy eyes.
Today is World Sight Day — an event held every year to raise awareness around the world about prevention of and treatment for vision loss. So, in honour of World Sight Day, here’s a reminder to think about your eye health.
Eye Exams
Routine eye exams are important regardless of your age. When you see your eye doctor for a full exam, the doctor isn’t just checking your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses. An eye doctor is also checking your eyes for common eye diseases, assessing how your eyes work, and evaluating your eyes as an indicator of your overall health. Often doctors can detect chronic diseases in our system such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Aging
Aging also factors into this equation. Just as we may experience a decrease in physical strength with age, our eyes also show an age-related decline in performance — particularly as we reach our 60's and beyond. Some conditions may start beginning around age 40, including presbyopia and cataracts. Presbyopia is the condition when people start to experience blurred near-vision when reading, using a smart phone or working at a computer. The second type of eye vision problems is cataracts, a clouding of the eyes’ natural lens that lies behind the iris and the pupil.
With the potential eyesight conditions that may occur particularly as we age, prevention is key.
Ways to maintain good eye health
- Eat for good vision, and choose foods that have vitamin A and carotenoids
- Quit smoking
- Wear sunglasses
- Use safety eye wear
- Look away from the computer screen
- Visit your eye doctor regularly
- Exercise more frequently (some studies suggest that regular exercise such as walking can reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by up to 70 percent)
These are tips we can all practice for the health of our eyes. Remember, that prevention and early treatment are both important for healthy eyes.
