Our eyes are a precious commodity that is often taken for granted. But to keep them healthy and functional, regular prevention and care is essential. Here are some important tips for maintaining eye health.
Regular eye exams are important to detect potential problems early. These exams can help detect vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and eye diseases such as glaucoma or macular degeneration. It is best for people over 40 to make regular appointments with an ophthalmologist – if they can get one. The number of practicing ophthalmologists is decreasing, while demographic change is confronting more and more people with eye problems.
Alternatively, Fielmann offers the so-called “eye check-up”, a service that goes beyond the usual eye test when buying glasses. Since this year, the optician has been measuring intraocular pressure in many branches upon customer request, photographing the retina and forwarding the data to a partner company, the start-up Ocumeda. There, ophthalmologists evaluate whether there are any signs that require a visit to the doctor and how serious they are.
According to Fielmann boss Marc Fielmann, the results can be easily deciphered: “Green means everything is fine. If it’s yellow, the doctors have seen something unusual, then you should go to the ophthalmologist as soon as possible. And red means: the doctors have discovered something dramatic In the worst case, it can lead to blindness, a stroke or something similar. Please see an ophthalmologist or the clinic immediately. The results of the investigations so far: In tens of thousands of screenings carried out in Switzerland and Germany, abnormalities were discovered in around 20 percent. 18 percent had signs of illness, i.e. a yellow status, 2 percent even had acute problems, i.e. red status.
Long-term vision: sunglasses, screen time, diet
In order to keep your own eye health in the green range and to preserve your vision for as long as possible, it is therefore important to protect and care for your eyes. For example, it is helpful to protect your eyes from UV rays by wearing sunglasses with UV protection when outdoors. Long-term UV exposure can lead to eye diseases such as cataracts, retinal damage and macular degeneration. It’s best to choose sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection and wear them all year round, not just in the summer months.
To protect your eyes, you should also limit the time in front of screens such as computers, smartphones and tablets. Regular breaks relax the eyes, especially if you stick to the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, you look at something 20 meters away for 20 seconds to relieve the strain on your eye muscles.
More tips for healthy eyes: quit smoking and wear protective glasses
As with all health issues, a balanced diet plays an important role here. Vitamins and antioxidants can support eye health. They are found in foods such as green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale), fish (salmon, mackerel), nuts (almonds, walnuts) and berries (blueberries, strawberries). All of these foods contain nutrients such as vitamins A, C and E, lutein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for vision and can reduce the risk of eye diseases.
Just as a healthy diet is good for your health, smoking is bad for it – and also for our eyes. Smoking affects blood flow, including to the eyes, can lead to worsening vision and increases the risk of eye diseases such as cataracts, macular degeneration and optic nerve damage.
Finally, you should wear protective glasses when doing sports and manual work to avoid eye injuries. Sports such as tennis, basketball or hockey can pose an increased risk of eye injuries.
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