World Sight Day: Show Your Eyes Some Love #WorldSightDay

I still remember my first pair of glasses.

I was in third grade, and just weeks before, I had failed the required vision test at my school. At the recommendation of the school nurse, my parents immediately set up an appointment with an optometrist. It was at this appointment that I learned I was near sighted (meaning that I could see up close but things farther away were blurry). Soon, I was getting fitted for my first pair of glasses.

They were beauties. Thick brown plastic, with a braided cord looped around each ear piece so I could "take off my glasses and not lose them."

Oh yeah. I was cool.

Luckily glasses have become more en vogue in recent years. Here is the current pair I'm sporting:

I know. You want to be me.

Taking care of my imperfect vision is now part of my life. At 15, I got fitted with contacts. And since that first fateful appointment, I've seen my optometrist every 1-2 years to check the progress of my vision.

In honor of World Sight Day, I was given a chance to hear from The Vision Council, and I learned even more about the importance of caring for your eyes.

Did You Know...

• Eyes are the window to our overall health and being - they are integral to our everyday life. 

• Eyes are the strongest muscle in our body! They process 36,000 bits of information every hour! 

• Exposure to sun rays can lead to short term and long term vision issues. 

• Eyes can get sunburned!

• Years of exposure to UV rays can lead to cataracts and macular degeneration.  

• People with lighter eyes are more susceptible to UV damage.

Protect Your Eyes

Eyes are greatly affected by UV rays. It is important to wear sunglasses that assure UVA and UVB protection (look for a sticker). I didn't realize that even in the WINTER sunglasses are essential!

This is especially important if you live in one of these cities:

In case you need some more information for your review:

I'm sold. Here is a picture of me and the girls rocking our protective eyewear:

Digital Eye Strain

I was very glad to be alerted to this issue. Not only do I wear glasses, but I am also in front of a computer screen a lot due to my blogging and social media managing.  Eyes can become tired or fatigued while using devices (ie: in front of screen). Symptoms may include dryness, irritation  blurred vision, headaches, neck and back pain, and redness. In an age of so many screens, this is something we need to be aware of for our children as well.

Prevent digital eye strain by watching screen time as well as giving your eyes a break. Abide the 20-20-20 Rule: every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This break reminds your eyes to blink, and blinking is the eye's natural defense against fatigue and dryness. 

(You just totally got a new wrinkle in your brain, right?)

Get Those Eyes Checked!

Too many people go without eye exams. Don't become a vision statistic! Get detected early – starting as kids at routine check ups!  Eye exams should be conducted every 2 years for those with normal vision starting as early as 6 months. If the patient has glasses or contacts, they should be seen yearly.

Optometrists assess internal and external factors that can impact our vision.  Routine Eye Exams also help uncover hereditary issues: near/far sightedness, astigmatism, amblyopia, strabismus, presbyopia. Let your optometrist know if anyone in your family has suffered from any hereditary eye diseases. Assessing for these diseases will become part of your regular eye exams. 

 

Maintain Healthy Vision 

In addition to routine eye exams and keeping your eyes protected, there are several other factors to maintaing healthy vision:

• Eating Right
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Keeping blood pressure under control
• Exercising
• Quit smoking
• Washing your hands

You can learn more about eye care from The Vision Council's website, as well as connecting with them on Facebook and Twitter.

How well do YOU take care of your eyes? 

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. But the information is near to my heart and I am glad I have the chance to share it with you!