Eye Health: Are you keeping your eyes safe this Autumn?

Mums Tips

Fitness & Health

Published on Saturday, 14 September 2019 11:11

Last Updated on 14 September 2019

Monica Costa

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As we slowly depart from the Summer and enter the autumn season, one thing we should not disregard is our eye health. Whilst we all think of summer as being the dangerous season for our eyes, our eye health can often suffer in Autumn too if we don’t stay protected.

Ensuring you and your children follow these important top tips for keeping your eyes safe this autumn is highly encouraged, we only get one pair of eyes after all!

Sunglasses

Even in the autumn, surfaces like water, sand and concrete can reflect large percentages of UV rays,so using sunglasses with 100% UV protection makes a lot of sense if you and your children are spending a lot of time outdoors, even if the weather is colder! Sunglasses with UV protection can also help reduce your risk of cataracts or complications from glaucoma. With brands like Ray-Ban, you can personalise your sunglasses on their site. For example, you can choose to have polarised lenses for glare reduction or even have your optical prescription lenses fitted.

 

Beware on windy days

Autumn is a windy season for us Brits, so beware and protect your eyes. The best thing to do is wear sunglasses, but if a large foreign object does enter the eye, seek medical attention.

If you’re prone to dry eyes, ensure you are using eye drops appropriately.

 

Exercise and diet

Vision problems and eye diseases often stem from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables alongside regular exercise are two of the most important steps you can take to lower both.

Stay hydrated

A phrase we hear most in summer, but it applies all year round! Your eyes need plenty of water to function properly, about eight glasses a day, and if that sounds like a lot, you can get an app to prompt you when you need to drink more.

Get eight hours sleep every night

According to this report, half of us Brits find getting to sleep a problem. Sleep restores the natural lipid layer on the surface of your eyes and allows for your eye muscles to relax and recover. In Autumn, the nights can still be light for a while, so if this is a nuisance to you sleeping, perhaps invest in a sleep mask.

Monitor your screen time

Although there is not yet clear evidence that screen time harms your eyes, the recommendation is that you should always take a break every so often.  The blue light emitted by screens can disrupt the body’s secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone, and therefore you should avoid looking at screens an hour before you intend to go to sleep.

 

Don’t forget to get your eyes checked

You won’t know that you’ve got early stage glaucoma because there are no symptoms and by the time you are aware you may have already sustained permanent vision loss. An optician will be able to spot the tell-tale high eye pressure right away. So, if you haven’t had your eyes checked in a while, do it now.

 

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