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5 Easy Lifestyle Changes to Enhance Your Eyesight

It sounds too good to be true, but with a few simple lifestyle changes, you can improve your eyesight dramatically.

It’s not the one-time, big-time strategies that bring results. Rather, it’s the small yet consistent approaches you employ on a daily basis that bring the most excellent and long-lasting results.

You’d want to reap these benefits for your eyes, right? Well, promise yourself you’d put into action right away these 5 lifestyle changes to help out your eyes.

1. Improve your nutrition.

What you eat plays a more crucial role to your vision than you realize. Proper nutrition enhances eye health, thereby enhancing your eyesight.

You don’t even need to do something dramatic to achieve this. By simply committing to consume only whole, natural foods, you’re already on the way to helping out your eyesight reach its peak condition.

Stock up on green leafy vegetables, eggs, salmon, tuna, nuts, and citrus fruits. Aside from being easy to find, these foods are also convenient to bring along with you wherever you go.

2. Quit smoking.

This is in addition to helping out your eyes from within. By now, you’re well aware of the many negative effects smoking brings to your health.

As if the looming threat of lung cancer isn’t enough, smoking also ups your risk of developing cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and vision loss. Who’d want these?

Quitting smoking may be one of the hardest things you can do to enhance your eyesight, but it also brings with it the most benefits.

3. Take it easy on your eyes.

The modern-day workplace has the personal computer (PC) as a workplace staple. Even if you don’t work in an office setting, you’re exposed to the ubiquitous screen anyway, due to your surfing the Net, watching movies, or reading electronic books.

Be mindful, and remind yourself to follow the famous 20-20-20 rule: look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This simple but powerful habit reduces the likelihood of eye strain and likely vision problems down the line.

In addition, set up your PCs in a manner that’s least harmful to your peepers. Keep the monitor at an arm’s length away, and enlarge the font to keep from squinting. Reduce glare by adjusting your screen’s brightness.

4. Don UV-protection sunglasses when you head out.

The sun isn’t exactly at its friendliest when it makes contact with any part of your body. Your eyes are no exception. To protect them from the harmful UV rays, make sure to put on UV-protection sunglasses every time you step out of the house.

These sunnies shield your eyes from the glare as well. Go for a tint or shade that offers just the right amount of darkness; go too dark, and you’ll likely have to squint to see clearly, doing more harm than good.

5. Show up for your eye checkups.

Prevention is indeed better than cure when it comes to your beloved eyes. With them, you never know what problem you’re going to get. By the time you find out, often it’s already too late. Why take the risk?

Going to your regular eye checkups is your best bet to preventing any vision-related diseases from eating away at your eyesight. Your doctor’s likely to spot any progressing disease; thus, you get prompt treatment.

Most eye diseases work in a quiet, stealthy manner, hence the often-late detection. But this doesn’t have to be the case when you show up faithfully for your eye checkups.

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4 Reasons Why You Need to Undergo Regular Eye Checkups

You’ve heard countless times how the eyes are the windows to the soul. Yet most people take them for granted and don’t treat them to preventive measures until it’s too late. Sure, treatment options for vision correction run aplenty, but why spend loads on something that could’ve been prevented in the first place

Like the other parts of your body, your eyes need tender loving care. One solid way to show them how much they mean to you is by showing up regularly for your scheduled eye checkups. Likely you’ve had them your whole life; you just didn’t find them pressing or important.

Well, here are 4 reasons to make you see (no pun intended) why going to your eye checkups will do your peepers good in the long run.

1. Early detection of eye and vision problems

While most sight-related issues present no symptoms and only sprout their ugly heads when it’s too late, most of the time, they can be addressed optimally had they been detected early.

That’s right. Unless it involves an acute trauma to the eye, most eye problems take time to develop. With regular checkups, the chances of early detection are higher, and the sooner you can begin treatment.

2. Maintenance of eye health

Healthy eyes improve the quality of life. When you’ve no vision-related problems to distract you, you can focus on what matters most in your life. You can go after your dreams, pursue your passion for sports, delve into the arts—whatever you feel like doing.

Furthermore, healthy eyes more or less assures you of maintaining your sight well into your old age. More time for you to work on your dreams and goals then.

3. Preservation of employment

When you’re plagued with eye issues, it’s difficult to find and eventually maintain employment. This rings true if you’re in a field that requires perfect vision and precision.

If you’ve been in this industry for a while, any eye-related problem can be jolting, and along with it comes the risk of you losing your job.

You depend on your eyes for a living; thus, it would be difficult should your vision be affected. Even if you “only” experience blurry vision, this can have adverse effects on your work performance. Down the line, this can take its toll on your employment.

Prevention is better than cure, they say. Do your eyes a favor by having them checked on a regular basis. That way, they stay healthier longer.

4. Detection of chronic health problems

Apparently your eyes are the windows to not only your soul but also your health. Through them, doctors can detect and discover any other issues involving your state of health as a whole.

Chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes can manifest in the eye. Tiny blood vessels in the eye can tip off doctors that something isn’t going right in your body.

The blood vessels display odd, abnormal behaviors or appearances. Eye doctors then follow up on these conditions until the source (i.e., the disease) is discovered and diagnosed. Prompt treatment for this particular condition can then begin.

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5 Different Foods to Eat after LASIK Surgery

Recovery from LASIK surgery involves not only the external but also the internal. At this stage, your body is in recovery mode, mending what it can from the “assault” that is having your vision corrected.

To help your body heal from within, start by being conscious of what you put into it. Your usual diet—especially if you weren’t big on healthy, nutrient-rich food in the first place—won’t cut it at this point.

The faster you recover from LASIK surgery, the sooner you can resume your activities of daily living; thereby, the sooner you enjoy the benefits of your new, clear vision.

Like I said earlier, I did my surgery in Manila, so here is kinda hard to buy some real foods that will help you with the recovery. However here are few of them that you can find in the local grocery stores. 

1. Eggs

Eggs are nature’s all-around wonder food. They’re particularly famous for their rich protein content, which also happens to be vital for eye health and basic vision functions.

Eggs are also eggs-ellent (get it?) sources of lutein and vitamin A. These help you fight off getting the dry-eye syndrome, which commonly happens after LASIK surgery. In addition, eggs amp up your night vision.

2. Fish

When you’re recovering from LASIK surgery, do yourself a favor and stock up on fish. It works wonders for aiding your eyes during the mending process, thanks to their high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Now omega-3 offers protection from dry eyes, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and more. Fish doesn’t only help your eyes recover but also takes care of your existing vision.

3. Nuts

Along with eggs, nuts are one of the healthiest fares there is. Along with fish, they’re rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts also have vitamin E up its arsenal.

This combination makes nuts one of your must-have pantry goodies. All nuts generally promote eye health, so it doesn’t matter what kind of nut you choose as long as it’s, well, a nut.

Harness their eye-healing powers by eating nuts as they are (a handful will do). Mix them with salads as well for an interesting, healthy twist.

4. Citrus fruits

Add a refreshing element to your list of foods to eat after LASIK surgery by stocking up on citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, limes, berries, grapefruit—these are terrific sources of vitamin C, which plays a protective role in your vision.

To make eating citrus fruits a more pleasant experience, pop them in the fridge and snack on them throughout the day. Of course, you can always take a multivitamin for your daily vitamin C requirements, but where’s the fun in that, right?

5. Leafy greens

Mom was right, after all: eat your greens, they’re good for you. In fact, they help your body recover nicely after LASIK surgery. Whether you go for spinach, dandelion greens, kale, cabbage, or broccoli, you still get a generous serving of vitamin A, vitamin B12, folic acid, calcium, and vitamin C.

As if these vitamins and minerals aren’t good enough, green leafy vegetables are also packed with carotenoids, particularly lutein. To get these power benefits, consume the leafy greens raw or cooked just enough. Overcooking removes the nutrients from this food, so prepare your greens just right.

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5 Things to Consider when Choosing a LASIK Surgeon

Choosing a LASIK surgeon is a task that should be taken seriously. You’ll be placing your eyes in their care, after all.

In your search for the ideal LASIK surgeon, there are 5 major things you need to look into before you make a decision. Consider these factors as non-negotiables. When it comes to your eyes, there should be no room for compromise.

1. Licensure and certification

When looking up information on a LASIK surgeon you’re eyeing (no pun intended), before anything else, check they’re actually qualified to perform the procedure. Stories of clients falling victim to so-called professionals aren’t unheard of.

Keep considerable distance between yourself and this likely event by conducting a thorough background check of your chosen surgeon. Don’t take their word or what your research says for it. Contact the agencies and organizations they’re affiliated with, and confirm the connections of the said surgeon.

For additional peace of mind, check the National Practitioner Data Bank.

2. Referrals

A referral is pretty much standard in the medical field. Doctors refer their colleagues to patients requiring services that go beyond the doctor’s qualifications. Thus, if you don’t know of any LASIK surgeon, you can turn to your regular doctor for help.

Ask him/her for a referral. Tell him of what you like in a surgeon, the qualifications you prefer, and other pertinent details. Note that a referral doesn’t provide a 100% guarantee your LASIK surgeon will be flawless. There are still the chances of the surgeon not fitting the bill, but a referral provides you some familiar ground you can stand on.

3. Equipment

Skills alone do not an excellent LASIK surgeon make. Equipment too play a factor in delivering quality results.

Inquire if the surgeon has top or state-of-the-art equipment. What LASER machines do they have, and how long have they been in his possession? Do these machines meet the latest standards?

They don’t need to have all the LASIK machines in the market. However, it would be ideal if they provide options to their clients, such as having both a bladeless LASIK and a microkeratome LASIK.

4. Patient satisfaction

Nowadays, most LASIK clinics and surgeons have websites you can peruse for information. (Note: if the LASIK surgeon you’re eyeing doesn’t have one, be wary!)

They often provide a testimonials section on their website, but don’t trust those. You’d want real, honest feedback. To access that, check out site or clinic directories. In there you can find ratings provided by clients, as well as honest-to-goodness reviews.

Don’t expect a 100% satisfaction and success rate. That’s too good to be true. Rather, check that the surgeon has a low percentage of patient complaints and complications. This is more realistic, and helps you manage your expectations better.

5. Clinic staff

An excellent clinic staff is a reflection of an excellent LASIK surgeon. You know you’ve found one when every person in the surgeon’s clinic exudes warmth, positivity, and compassion.

They answer questions willingly, provide additional information without prompting, assist you in every step, and are professional but warm in every customer dealing. Also, your gut tells you it’s the real thing and is not just for show.

A happy staff often indicates employee satisfaction. It’s tough to put on a happy mask day after day, especially when you’re feeling lousy about your job.

Thus, when you come across a clinic staff that’s genuinely eager to help you out, take notice. It’s likely they’ve a good working relationship with the doctor (read: the LASIK surgeon you’re eyeing).