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Why eye care matters
Eye care means keeping your eyes healthy through good daily habits, regular checkups and treatment when needed. Some eye diseases can cause vision loss without early warning signs, so catching them early matters. Get your eyes checked as often as your provider recommends, or whenever you notice new vision problems.
Everyday habits
- Rest your eyes. Long hours at screens make you blink less, causing dry, tired eyes. Try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation — sun exposure can damage eyes and raise the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
- Wear protective eyewear for certain sports, jobs such as factory and construction work, and home repairs and projects.
- Don't rub your eyes, which can bring in dirt and bacteria, causing irritation or infection.
- Use good lighting to reduce strain.
- Contact lenses: wash your hands before putting them in or taking them out, clean them properly, and replace them when needed.
Nutrition and health
- Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens like spinach, kale or collard greens. Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna and halibut, can help too.
- Keep a healthy weight. Overweight and obesity raise the risk of diabetes, which in turn raises the risk of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.
- Exercise regularly, which may help prevent or control diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol — diseases that can lead to eye problems.
- Don't smoke. Smoking raises the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve.
- Know your family history — some eye diseases are inherited — and your other risk factors, such as age, since changing some behaviors may lower your risk.
Eye test or eye exam?
A vision screening (eye test) is a quick check of how well you see near and far, often done for children at school or a checkup. Many adults need more: a comprehensive dilated eye exam — the only way to catch some diseases early, when they're easier to treat. It includes:
| Test | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Visual field | side (peripheral) vision — loss can be a sign of glaucoma |
| Visual acuity | how well you see at different distances, reading a chart about 20 feet away |
| Eye muscle function | the muscles that move your eyes, as you follow an object |
| Pupil response | how your pupils react to light |
| Tonometry | pressure inside the eye, to help detect glaucoma |
| Dilation | drops widen the pupils so the provider can see the retina, macula and optic nerve |
| Refraction | which lenses give the clearest vision, if you need glasses or contacts |
When to get exams
It depends on your age, race, risk factors and overall health. For example, Black/African American adults are at higher risk of glaucoma and may need to start exams earlier, and people with diabetes should have an exam every year. Ask your provider.
See an eye care specialist right away for sudden vision loss, double vision, blurred vision with eye pain, flashes of light, black spots, or halos around lights — they may signal a serious problem.
Sources
Based on "Eye Care," MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence : CC0 1.0 (domaine public) · Adapté de medlineplus.gov
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