Eye Health & The City

Dust, dirt, pollution… three common elements of city life we are all familiar with. They can mess up your hair, affect your breathing, clog your skin, and even harm your eyes. Eye health is super important, and so easily taken for granted. Here’s how to keep your eyes safe in the city:

Sunglasses

Sustained exposure to UV radiation from the sun can cause a whole host of eye problems, including cataracts, surfer’s eye and snow blindness. UV rays travel through the eye lens to the retina, damaging the sensitive tissue. Sunglasses block these rays and help maintain eye health. Not all sunglasses are born equal– there are hundreds upon hundreds of different styles and strengths, but the best for the job are wrap-around ones that block out 100% of the UV rays. Even if your city isn’t sunny and UV exposure is reduced, your eyes are still exposed to UV radiation through reflections on the pavement, windows and even snow. Sunglasses will also help prevent dust and dirt from blowing into your eyes, causing irritation and itchiness, and even further damage.

 

Regular Checkups

Can you recall the last time you had your eyes checked? Eyes and teeth are super important, and yet we never seem to have the time to get them checked over. Regular eye exams will help identify any potential issues with your vision, allowing you to get treatment before they develop. It’s a great idea to be familiar with what procedures and products are available in your area, just in case. Here in Baltimore, many eye surgeons use Panoptix lenses. Do some research and clue yourself in on eye health, as you never know when it’ll pay off!

 

Vitamins

We all know we need to take our vitamins every day, so here’s an easy breakdown of vitamins that benefit our eyes vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, C, E, Omega 3 fatty acids, lutein and zeaxanthin.

It looks like an overwhelming list, but no one is expecting you to tick them all off. Small alterations to your lifestyle and diet can work wonders, and all these vitamins will benefit more than just your eyes.

 

Screen Time

With everything moving online during the pandemic, we are spending more and more time looking at our screens. The blue light that devices emit can damage the retina if consumed in large amounts, but there are plenty of blue light reducing items on the market to combat this. Physical blue light filters, or glasses with blue light filters in the lenses are widely available, but many devices now have the option to turn on an inbuilt filter, or switch to night mode. This can also be particularly helpful in evenings, as the blue light can stimulate your brain and keep you awake.

 

Share these tips with friends and family and start up a conversation about the importance of eye health, not just in the city, but all over the country. Eye problems can affect anyone at any age, so it’s important to be aware and knowledgeable for yourself and others.

 

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Written by HealthStatus Crew
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus teams with authors from organizations to share interesting ideas, products and new health information to our readers.

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