Eye health tips for older people
We’ve put together a list of eye health tips to ensure your eyes stay in tip-top condition.
Even if we’ve had perfect vision all our lives, that doesn’t stop us from suddenly needing glasses , or encountering something more serious with our vision or with our eyes themselves. These eye health tips will help you.
As we get older and start slowing down in life, so do our bodies. Our joints often become a bit stiff and we start relying on stairlifts, we’re a bit slower on our feet and we just can’t move like we used to. With our bodies starting to slow down, we start to become more aware of the body parts that need a little extra care and attention, such as our eyes.
Even if we’ve had perfect vision all our lives, that doesn’t stop us from suddenly needing glasses or encountering something more serious with our vision or with our eyes themselves. To ensure your eyes stay in tip-top condition, we’ve put together a list of eye health tips , so you can keep on top of your eye health.
Get regular eye tests
Although 68% of us value our eyesight over our other senses, that doesn’t stop us leaving it months or even years without having our eyes tested.
“Regular sight checks are important for two reasons, firstly because having your vision corrected can improve the quality of day to day life,” Dr Susan Blakeney, clinical adviser to the College of Optometrists, told Saga Magazine. “Secondly, regular eye tests can mean early detection of conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), that could lead to sight loss.”
Even if you’re not currently experiencing any problems with your eyes or vision, it’s always worth heading to the opticians regularly just to be on the safe side, particularly as some people are more prone to conditions than others, says Saga Magazine. “If you’re over 40, have a close relative with glaucoma or other eye conditions, you may be more likely to have an eye condition that may not have symptoms until quite late on, such as glaucoma.” To ensure you aren’t suffering from any underlying eye problems, make sure you follow our eye health tips.
Eat healthily
Many people are unaware that taking charge of your eating habits can reduce your risk of eye disease. It is recommended to eat a healthy balanced diet of “omega-3 fats, found in oily fish, and lutein, found in dark-green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale.” It is also recommended to eat foods rich in vitamins A, C and E, so make sure you’re eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.”
Our top tips for maintaining eye health with different food varieties. It is best to eat plenty of oily fish, as it “provides structural support to cell membranes and may be beneficial for dry eyes. Research has shown that eating just one portion of fish a week may reduce the risk of developing sight-stealing AMD.”
Eating plenty of eggs ! “They are packed full of eye-health nutrients, including sulphur, which may protect the lens from cataracts. Try teaming it with wholemeal toast, as whole grains also contribute to eye health.”
Stop smoking
If you’re a smoker, kicking the habit not just for your overall health, but because it can cause eye disease. “Many people are unaware of the link between smoking and eye disease. If you smoke, stop. Smoking significantly increases the risk of developing eye diseases, such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. However long you have smoked it’s never too late to benefit from quitting.”
Protect your eyes
We all know how dangerous the sun’s rays can be to our skin, and our eyes are no different. Take extra precautions when you’re out in the sun. “Use sunglasses to block harmful sun rays from damaging the eye and reduce the risk of developing cataracts, AMD and other vision complications.”
But not just any pair of sunglasses will do – ensure they specifically filter out UV, as lots of sunglasses dull sunlight but they don’t actually block harmful UV rays.
Give your eyes a break
To prevent dry eyes and muscle strain, give your eyes a rest from any digital devices that you may be using throughout the day. “When you work on something close up, such as a computer, tablet or smartphone, your eye muscles are active. This may cause tiredness and headaches, even in those with normal sight.
“Follow the 20/20/20 rule – every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds. And don’t forget to blink, as this helps prevent your eyes drying out.”
Safety & poor vision
As well as looking after your eye health, it’s important to ensure you keep yourself safe if you have poor vision. This is strongly recommended for keeping yourself safe in your home and reducing your risk of falling or hurting yourself due to poor vision.
- Have good lighting. Energy-saving bulbs are fine as long as you position them correctly. We recommend having lamps close to where you need the light (for example, a lamp near the chair where you sit to read).
- Make sure you turn the lights on at home when it is dark so that you can see clearly where you are going.
- Have a good contrast between objects to make them easier to see. For example, having a dark toilet seat on a white toilet (and a dark bathroom floor if you have a white toilet, sink and so on) and having dark edges on steps and stairs.
If your optometrist has told you that you should wear glasses for distance (watching television, walking about and so on) you should keep them on when you are walking outside your home.
If you take part in regular outdoor activities, it may be a good idea to have a pair of distance glasses to wear outdoors or when you are in unfamiliar places, or if your distance prescription is not very strong, take your glasses off. Your optometrist will be able to advise you about this.
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What is the cost of a Stairlift from Home Mobility?
At Home Mobility, the price of a stairlift depends on a number of things, such as the type of staircase you have (straight, curved, indoor, outdoor), the angle of your stairs and the space available at both the top and bottom of the stairs.
