Eye Health and You: Eye Care for Young Adults

Being a young adult in today’s world is challenging. While balancing the demands of work, studies and a social life, it’s easy to let other things slip, like taking a proactive approach to your health. This includes your visual health, which many young adults take for granted.

The good news is that it doesn’t take much to keep your eyes healthy, even when you’re juggling a bunch of other priorities. Read on for some simple yet useful optical care tips from Downtown Eyes, a top local eye clinic.

Eat Up!

The key to bright, alert eyes and sharp eyesight lies in eating a healthy, well-balanced meal. Don’t worry, you don’t need to prepare three gourmet meals a day to be healthy. However, you should make sure that you have at least one type of food from the major food groups every time you cook or order take-out. 

This applies to snacking as well. When you’re feeling peckish and the urge to raid your pantry for chips becomes too strong, consider choosing nutrient-rich options over junk food. Below are healthy alternatives to your go-to snacks.

Instead of: potato chips and French fries

Try: veggie chips and healthier cooking methods

While the humble potato is technically considered a root vegetable, a single serving (about 18 pieces) of your favorite potato chips already contains 120 calories. However, we all know that stopping yourself from eating an entire bag of chips is a lesson in self-control that many of us have probably failed one too many times. The solution? Veggie chips! 

These can be bought from your local specialty food market. Better yet, you can make them in your own kitchen, giving you the chance to experiment with herbs and spices for taste. For all the potato lovers out there, here’s some good news for you. You can enjoy your French fries sans the guilt by baking them in coconut oil. This way, you can still indulge your craving while looking after your optical health.

Instead of: candy and other sweets

Try: frozen fruits

If you have a sweet-tooth and are craving for candy, reach for frozen fruits instead. These delights are just as delectable, but much healthier.

Your eyes have tiny blood vessels, and what you eat contributes to how healthy your eye cells will be. Some foods that can help improve your eyesight include carrots, kale, spinach, collard greens, cod liver oil, zucchini, Brussel sprouts, Swiss chard and sweet potatoes — all of which are excellent sources of lutein and vitamin A.

At the very least, you should never let yourself go hungry, or go through the day on an empty stomach. Not only will this bad habit impair your cognitive skills, but it can also harm your concentration and eyesight. Further, it’s never a bad idea to ask your eye specialist for vitamins and supplements that you can take.

Optimize Screen Time

As your primary eye care provider, Downtown Eyes understands that it’s close to impossible to limit exposure to devices and gadgets with LCD screens nowadays. Cellphones, smart tablets, laptops and desktop computers are just a few of the modern inventions that have become critical components of most young adults’ daily lives and routines whether it’s for work, studies or leisure. While these gadgets help make everyday life more convenient to navigate and manage, LCD screens can wreak havoc on your eyesight.

To help you better understand why prolonged exposure to LCD screens is detrimental to the eyes, it’s important to note the vital role that blue light plays. First off, blue is on the far end of the visible light spectrum, which means that blue light rays have shorter wavelengths and more energy. Blue light can be good, as it can help regulate the circadian rhythm and can even boost alertness.

However, the eyes aren’t very good at blocking the blue light, which comes mostly from sunlight and LCD screens. In fact, blue light can penetrate all the way to the retina. When this happens, it can break down and damage the light-sensitive cells in the retina. This is what makes looking directly at the sun and prolonged exposure to digital screens harmful to the eyes.

In addition, looking at a computer or phone screen for extended periods makes it difficult for the eyes to focus. When your eyes start feeling fatigued, you might be suffering from digital eye strain.

One way to prevent digital eye strain is to wear specially coated eyeglasses that prevent blue light from entering your eyes. You can also modify your screen display settings for optimal visual comfort. Yellow-tinted lenses ease the strain on the eyes when viewing digital documents. Adjusting the top of your laptop screen to just slightly below eye-level and keeping it at least 24″ away from your face can also ease symptoms of digital eye strain. Similarly, you should always wear UV-blocking sunglasses when you head out during the day to protect your eyes.

Never Share Makeup or Makeup Tools

Cosmetic products that are meant to be applied on or around the eyes, such as eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara, are not for sharing. The same applies to eyeshadow brushes and other eye makeup tools like mascara wands.

Keep Your Contact Lenses Clean

Handling and caring for your contact lenses properly is critical in preventing eye infections. Unfortunately, many people fail to follow these rules. Whether you’re using contact lenses purely for cosmetic or for vision correction purposes, you can benefit from these contact lens maintenance tips.

1. Wash and dry your hands properly before and after handling your contact lenses. This reduces the risk of eye infections.
2. Don’t sleep with your contacts on, unless you have contact lenses that were specifically designed to be worn during sleep. If you have an eye condition, talk to your doctor to find out if contact lenses are safe for you.
3. Use only the prescribed contact lens solution, not water or any other liquid, for cleaning and storing your lenses.
4. Replace your contact lens case every three months, and disinfect your current one regularly.

Downtown Eyes emphasizes the importance of maintaining eye health even if you have a busy schedule. To make things easier, we offer our eye care services in a location and on a schedule that’s convenient for you. If you’re encountering any problems with your vision or are conscious about your eye health, please don’t hesitate to drop by either of our branches or call us.