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.
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.
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.
