Spring Eye Care: Spring Cleaning Your Eye Health Routine

Spring is in the air, and with longer, warmer days comes the tradition of spring cleaning, digging deep into those hard-to-clean areas, airing out our homes and kicking off the season with all things fresh and new.

And adding a bunch of dust into the air. That plus all the pollen from those Spring flowers just might have you thinking about your eyes!

So, while you work through your Spring Cleaning to-do list, why not dust off your health routine and give your eyes some care and attention, too?

Often, people without vision issues skip the eye doc because – well – why spend the time when everything seems OK? The reason is simple: Many eye issues start without any symptoms and conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataract all benefit from early detection and treatment.

An annual exam is just as vital for those who rely on glasses, and particularly for those who use contact lenses, to see well. Contact lenses are extremely popular but, even with the most diligent hygiene and adherence to the rules for using them, they pose a risk for damaging the surface of the eye. Allergies can make eyes, already dry and irritated from contact lens use, feel even worse. Red, swollen and painful eyes are not normal and should be evaluated by your eye care professional.

In addition to booking your annual eye exam and discussing your vision correction with your ophthalmologist, here are few more Spring eye care tips:

• With Spring comes a new crop of fresh fruits and vegetables. Be sure you are adding five a day to your diet. Dark green leafy vegetables and brightly colored berries have important health benefits for your eyes and vision.
• Gaze out in the distance to help avoid eyestrain so common with the use (or overuse) of digital devices and computer screens. Employ the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes of screen time, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Consider getting out of corrective lenses all together by finding out if you are a candidate for LASIK. There has never been a better time than now to take advantage of the benefits vision correction surgery has to offer. Today’s advanced LASIK can improve nearsightedness, farsightedness, as well as astigmatism.
• If you are investing in your vision, you’ll want to protect your eyes. Sunglasses to ward off UVA/UVB sun ray damage, protective goggles and eyewear for sports and DIY activity.

Spring has sprung. Adding your annual eye exam to your to-do list is a great way to make sure your eye heath and vision gives you the ability to get the most out of it.