Simple Tips for Taking Care of Your Eyes

We pamper ourselves with spa days, manicures, pedicures, and facials. But when was the last time you pampered your eyes? Fall is a great time to turn over a new leaf and focus on keeping both your eyes and your vision a priority as part of a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few easy ways to care for your eyes this fall:

1. Get your eyes checked by an eyecare professional once a year. Many people don’t realize that their vision could be improved with contacts or eyeglasses. Is night driving an issue for you? A simple pair of driving glasses can make you feel safer and more comfortable. Even if you are not experiencing any problems, it’s important to get regular exams. Common problems like glaucoma and diabetes may have no warning signs. Regular exams can identify and treat these issues with drops, lasers, or injections before they cause problems. Take care of your eyes so they can take care of you!

2. Eat right for optimal eye health. Eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies provides important nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin that can sharpen your vision and ward off age-related eye diseases like cataract and macular degeneration. Take advantage of the fall harvest to indulge in apples, pumpkins, pomegranates, and brussels sprouts— all chock full of anti-oxidants to nourish your body and your vision. Omega-3 fatty acids can improve the symptoms of dry eye and help keep your eyes moist and improve eye function. Lean meats like fresh wild salmon, mackerel, and seabass provide this essential nutrient and vegans and vegetarians can get healthy omega-3s from nuts, seaweed, and chia seeds. Be sure to talk to your doctor before making changes to your diet.

3. Fall weather brings cooler, dryer air, and fall allergies. Windy weather and falling temperatures can mean burning, stinging dry eyes. Keep your eyes moist with over the counter tears and if that doesn’t work, seek prescription eye drops or light treatments like intense pulsed light. Ragweed season starts in late summer and hits full throttle in the fall months causing itchy, watery eyes. If over the counter drops aren’t enough to keep your symptoms in check, your eyecare provider can provide prescription antihistamines or steroids to reduce symptoms.

4. Over the counter redness reliever eye drops, like LUMIFY® from Bausch + Lomb, can reduce eye redness from ocular irritation and help your eyes look whiter and brighter for up to 8 hours. LUMIFY has been proven safe and effective when used as directed in clinical trials. toyosclinic.com