Lifestyle Tips for Healthy Vision

We all know that eating the right foods and exercising regularly is good for our overall health, but did you know it can also contribute to a healthier vision too? From ensuring your plate is full of nutritious food to cut down on your screen time, take a look at our lifestyle tips, you can try to make the health of your eyes a top priority.

Diet

Eating a balanced diet could help you achieve better eye health, so keep on reading to find out what to add to your next weekly shop.

Veggies

Green vegetables are full of something called carotenoids, including lutein & zeaxanthin. These may help protect your eyes against macular degeneration and cataracts, and you can find them in foods such as kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, avocadoes and romaine lettuce.

Fruit

To function properly, we need relatively high levels of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. You will find this beneficial vitamin in fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons and berries, as well as tasty peaches, red peppers and tomatoes.

You may have noticed the fruits and veg we have mentioned are all bright in colour, this is no coincidence!  They are all excellent sources of vitamins A and C, and their pigments include carotenoids.

Grains

Healthy whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, whole oats, whole-wheat bread and pasta contain vitamin E, zinc and niacin to promote overall eye health.

Fish

Oily fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which might reduce the risk of developing eye disease later in life. Fun fact: Oily fish can also help with symptoms of the dry eye!

If you don’t like or eat fish, how about trying omega-3 supplements, or you can try other omega-3-rich foods such as flaxseeds, rapeseed oils, eggs, walnuts or soya foods such as tofu?

Minimise Computer Use

If you spend a lot of time in front of the computer, whether that be for work or personal use, it is really important to take lots of screen breaks. Staring at the screen for a long time can lead to dry eyes, so make sure you follow the 20-20-20 rule. To do this, you need to look away from your computer every 20 minutes and gaze at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

Exercise Regularly

Finally, we’ve all heard a million times that regular exercise is good for both our physical and mental well-being, but it can help preserve your vision too! So, dust off your trainers and go for a walk or a run, or if you prefer to work out in the comfort of your own home, there are many virtual classes and Instagram live sessions available right now for you to try. Remember, every movement counts!