Many people often forget that their vision is actually related to their overall health due to the fact that most people do not even notice their eyes unless there is a problem. In fact, if you do not wear glasses or contacts you probably give very little thought to your eyes. However, eye tests are not just for vision because a thorough eye test can actually spot many different types of diseases, problems, and conditions before any other physical symptoms show up elsewhere on the body.
It is recommended that the average person have a vision test every two years unless advised otherwise by a doctor. If you notice a change in your vision or if you start to have any problems with your eyes then you should schedule a visit with your GP or optician to have the changes looked at. Anyone can have problems with their vision, but some people are more likely to suffer from eye disease including those that are over the age of sixty, those with diabetes, and those with certain ethnic backgrounds such as African-Caribbean people, South Asian people, and those with family history of eye disease.
Many people are unaware of the fact that they are eligible for free sight tests or optical vouchers from the NHS which can help reduce the costs of contact lenses or corrective eyewear. There are even some people who are legible for mobile sight tests at their own home, so depending on your situation you may want to check out the details for eyecare entitlement. You may want to look into this for your child if you notice that they show any signs of eye problems which include sitting close to the television, eye rubbing, blinking, and an eye that seems to move in multiple directions continuously.
If you are concerned about keeping your eyes healthy there are a few things that you can do that will help enhance the health of your eyes. First of all, if you are a smoker you may want to consider quitting because outside of the many other known health risks of smoking, smokers are known to have a higher risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration. Getting enough exercise is also an important part of keeping your eyes healthy because high blood pressure can cause vision loss as well as hardening of the arties within the eye.
You also may want to take a look at your diet, because healthy eating is beneficial to your eyes as well as the rest of your body. Fruits and vegetables are very important to keeping your retina healthy. Also important is that you only drink lightly because heavy alcohol use has been linked to a heightened risk of macular degeneration. It is recommended that men only consume three to four units of alcohol a day and that women should only consume two to three units daily.
Finally, sun exposure is a large risk for eye health because looking too long at the sun can cause damage to your eyes that is irreversible. In fact, looking at the sun for too long can even cause you to go blind. Too much exposure to the sunlight can also cause cataracts to develop quicker. Therefore, if you have to be out in the sun makes sure to protect your eyes from the damaging UV rays with sunglasses or a wide brimmed hat. Sunglasses should be chosen that have a CE mark on it that meet the British Standard sun protection of 1836:2005 which will make sure that you get the best ultraviolet protection.