Did you know women have significantly higher rates of blindness than men? It’s true. Don’t let yourself become one of the statistics.
Take Action to Promote Eye Health & Prevent Blindness
Vision is one of our most precious senses, allowing us to safely interpret the world around us. When you consider that vision is required to read body language (more important than words when it comes to communicating), enjoy a good book, blog or magazine, to drive, to catch a beautiful sunset or view, etc., it’s obvious that eye health should be a top priority for women.
According to preventblindness.org, women have a higher risk of developing the large majority of issues that contribute to blindness. Women account for:
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- 65% of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- 61% of people with glaucoma
- 61% of people with cataracts
- 56% of people with refractive error
- 63% of people with vision impairment
- 66% of people who are blind
Those statistics are compelling reasons to focus on eye health and preserve your vision.
5 Easy Things You Can Do To Optimize Eye Health
1) Make clean lifestyle choices
Eating well, exercising often and making clean lifestyle choices are the best things you can do for every aspect of your health and emotional well-being. A well-rounded diet will make sure you get the vitamins and minerals you need, and prevent you from ingesting the fats, sugars and unhealthy preservatives your body doesn’t need. Exercising keeps you fit and lean, reducing health conditions that contribute to blindness – like diabetes and heart disease.
2) Visit your eye doctor at least once per year
Just as we advocate observing your annual women’s wellness exam, women should also prioritize annual visits to their optometrist. Most of the eye conditions leading to blindness will be noted by him/her, yielding a referral to an ophthalmologist. Regular eye exams also ensure you’re eyeglass/contact prescription is current so untreated eye strain doesn’t accelerate vision loss.
If you’re pregnant, schedule an additional optometry appointment because pregnancy hormones can cause vision to fluctuate.
3) Quit smoking
Other than your cursory enjoyment, there isn’t a single benefit of smoking. In fact, smoking has a negative effect on virtually every aspect of overall health and well-being – and the eyes are no exception. While smoking is certainly no good if you’re trying to get pregnant – or are expecting – it also makes you more susceptible to blindness.
4) Protect your eyes from the sun
UV rays are harmful to your skin, but they’re also harmful to your eyes. Always wear a hat and sunglasses with UV-blocking features to protect your eyes from sun damage when you’re outside.
5) Treat your eyes with care
Health and beauty products, cosmetics, contact lenses and solutions, hair products, cleaning agents, chemicals you use at work – all can pose a risk to your eyes (and your vision) if you aren’t careful. Read health and beauty product labels, as well as cosmetic ingredients, carefully to make sure they’re safe. If you wear contacts, follow instructions explicitly; wearing them longer than advised and/or not cleaning or replacing them properly can lead to infection.
Are you looking for healthcare providers that take your holistic well-being into account? Schedule an appointment with the Overlake team and you’ll notice the difference.