A Focus on Women and Eye Health

This week we are focusing on eye health for women. It may surprise you to know that around two all blindness and vision impairment are found in women. Therefore April has been designated Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month in order to promote eye care and health knowledge, particularly for women.

There are a lot of different things that can affect your eye health, some of which are genetic, putting you at a higher risk, some are linked to longevity, however many are linked to lifestyle.

While there isn’t a great deal you can do about the onset of some eye diseases, the one thing that you can do it to make sure that you get a regular check-up at Specsdirect2u. We do not just check that you can still see clearly, although that is a primary task, we also carry out various checks and tests in order to pick up early stages of any eye disease. Here at Specsdirect2u we have four local branches where you can pop in and book an appointment, or you can give us a call. We have very friendly expert opticians who will carry out your eye examination. Don’t forget that eye tests in Scotland are free so there is no excuse not to have an eye test at least once every two years.

Outside of regular eye checks there are a number of things that you can do in order to help reduce the likelihood of you developing an eye disease or condition that may lead to you losing your sight later in life.

Sunglasses

It may seem like sunglasses are a handy fashion accessory on a sunny day. In fact sunglasses do a lot more than stop you from squinting on a bright day. If your sunglasses have good UV protection you will reduce the amount of damage that UV rays can do to your eye. UV rays of various wavelengths are absorbed by different structures within the eye and if you do not protect your eyes you could be putting yourself at risk of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and causing other general damage to the eye that can lead to sight loss.

If you don’t have any sunglasses we recommend that you get some now that spring and brighter days are on the way. If you don’t know where to start then why not check out our range of sunglasses that we offer here at Specsdirect2u. We offer everything from budget frames through to the latest Ray Bans and there are both prescription and non-prescription options for them all.

Diet

Mum’s are very fond of telling kids to eat their carrots so that they will be able to see in the dark. Although not strictly true, you do need to make sure that you are getting the right nutrients in order for your eyes to stay healthy. So let’s start with the carrots. Carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, as are sweet potatoes, spinach and kale, which may slow the progression of macular degeneration.

Other key nutrients you should try to eat plenty of are omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc. It may sound like you will have to eat a hundred and one different foods to make sure that you can cram all of these is, but actually you can get most of them from berries, dark green leafy vegetables, orange vegetables, oily fish, poultry and dairy products.

So in short, don’t take your eye health for granted and if you do nothing else, make sure that you take advantage of an eye examination here at Specsdirect2u.  We also offer free home eye test visits, if you cannot make it into one of our optical practices.  We are in Alexandra Parade, Cambuslang, Duke Street in Dennistoun and Tollcross.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.  Please subscribe to receive all future blogs, and connect with us using the social media buttons at the top of the screen.  We are an Independent Family Owned Opticians and our main goal is to look after your eyesight.