July is Healthy Vision Month, a day to remind you to prioritize your vision and eye health! There are plenty of ways to keep your eyes healthy. Read below for some tips on maintaining great vision and great health.

Get a Comprehensive Eye Exam

It’s important to get a comprehensive eye exam (including a dilated exam) regularly, but how often is that?

Ages 20 – 39: Every 5 years

Ages 40 – 54: Every 2 – 4 years

Ages 55 – 64: Every 1 – 3 years

Ages 65+: Every 1 – 2 years

If you experience vision problems or symptoms of an eye disease, it’s important to go to an optometrist or ophthalmologist more frequently.

Eat Well

Dark, leafy greens (think spinach and kale) can prevent cataracts. Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (think salmon and halibut) can help prevent vision loss.

Quit Smoking

Smoking increases your risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. It can also harm your optic nerve, which serves as the “communication cable” between your eyes and brain.

Wear Sunglasses

Sunglasses are more than just a fashion statement! UV light can have harmful effects on the eyelid, cornea, lens, and retina.

Take Screen Breaks

Everyone knows staring at a screen all day isn’t great for our health, but it’s the reality of how most people spend their days. Set a timer on your phone to go off every 20 minutes to remind you to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Keep Your Face Away from Pets

This may come as a surprise, but many people are sent to the ER each year due to a pet scratching their eye. While our pets may not mean to hurt us, a scratch to the eye can cause discomfort and sensitivity to light at best and vision or eye loss at worst.

Want to learn how you can improve your eyesight? Check out this link from Healthline for tips: https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-improve-eyesight