The first step to practicing good eye health is to visit an eye doctor at any one of our offices in Derry, Windham or Londonderry. Schedule a comprehensive eye exam once per year, even if you think your vision is fine or your prescription hasn’t changed. Your eye doctor can perform a number of tests to evaluate the overall health of your eyes. Dilated eye exams, for instance, allow your eye doctor to check for the early warning signs of eye diseases. Scheduling an annual eye exam also gives you the opportunity to talk to your eye doctor about your concerns, such as which protective gear you need to protect your eyes in the workplace, while doing yardwork, or while playing sports.
There are plenty of other ways to protect your eye health throughout the year. If you smoke, you should be aware that this increases your risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage. Quitting smoking and protecting yourself from secondhand smoke is essential. In addition, many people spend hours each day in front of a computer. Computer usage is associated with a decline in normal blinking activity, which leads to eye fatigue. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, you should look at a point about 20 feet away from you for about 20 seconds.
