Eye Care Tips for Older Adults

Our eyes provide us the ability to receive and process visual data. They allow us to see the beauty of the natural world and the faces of our families and friends. With eyesight being important to our overall wellness, it’s necessary to protect it as much as possible. By protecting your eyes, you’ll reduce the possibility of eye-related diseases and vision loss. Keep reading for a few ways you can take care of your eyes.

7 Ways to Care for Your Eyes

1. Maintain yearly eye exams. Yearly eye exams are encouraged for people of any age, but especially those that are 65 and older. When it comes to treatment of age-related eye conditions, early detection is key for eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease.
2. Keep your eyewear correction prescription up to date. If you need corrective eyewear such as glasses or contacts, make sure the prescription is up to date in order to reduce the risk of eyestrain from an incorrect prescription. And, if you wear contacts, put proper precautions in place to reduce the risk of eye infections, such as washing your hands when putting contacts in and taking them out.
3. Eat a healthy diet. Your diet has an impact on many of your body’s functions, including your eyesight. For eyesight in particular, eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and tuna, can help your eyes. Generally speaking, though, your diet should be heavily focused on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy.
4. Wear protective eyewear. Protective eyewear helps to keep your eyes from physical damage. Safety goggles are highly encouraged while working on certain home repairs. And always remember to wear sunglasses while outside or in direct contact with UV rays, since sun exposure can damage your eyes and raise your risk of certain eye diseases, such as cataracts.
5. Know your family’s medical history. Diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration may be associated with genetic factors. By understanding your family’s medical history, you’ll be better able to understand your risk for these diseases.
6. Exercise regularly. Believe it or not, exercise even helps your eye health! Exercise may help control risk factors that can lead to eye or vision problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
7. Give your eyes a rest. With the increased usage of phones, computers and TVs in our daily lives, using these screens can strain our eyes. To reduce eyestrain, look away from the screen every 20 minutes for at least 20 seconds.

Discover Wellness Opportunities at Winchester Gardens

At Winchester Gardens, our community offers numerous resources that you can use to maintain your overall wellness and happiness. These offerings are all possible through LivWell, our holistic wellness program. LivWell is engrained in everything we do at the community, from the types of daily activities offered to the nutritious, delicious dining options. Our team is here to offer you guidance as to what activities and amenities may be beneficial to help you reach your wellness goal.

For questions about LivWell or becoming a resident of Winchester Gardens, feel free to contact us or schedule a tour, either in-person or virtually.