Here at La Jolla LASIK we are devoted to excellent vision and healthy eyes. While LASIK patients enjoy exceptional vision after their surgery, they need to make sure they devote time and effort to maintaining good eye health in order to extend the positive effects of LASIK for the rest of their lives. Here are a few tips that will guide you in keeping your eye health in prime condition:
1) Say No to Guns: Keeping any sort of firearm around the house poses an immediate danger to you and your loved ones’ lives and eyes. Low-velocity ballistic weapons like BB guns, which are often thought of as toys, are extremely dangerous – every year there are about 20,000 cases of eye injuries and resulting visual damage in young children. Pellet gun eye injuries are often blinding. And, I’ve previously written about the circumstances in which a favorite man-sport becomes blinding in this post: Paintball.
2) Goggle up: According to everydayhealth.com, more than 1 million people suffer eye injuries in the US each year and 90% could have been avoided if they wore protective eyewear. So, make sure you wear appropriate safety eyewear next time you are hammering something into your wall, cleaning with bleach, doing a lab experiment, operating heavy machinery or playing sports like racquetball or basketball. While goggles aren’t quite as fashionable as sunglasses, we can guarantee that the few minutes of dorkiness are well worth a lifetime of protected eyesight. And who knows, maybe you’ll find a pair of bad-ass tinted safety goggles to wear.
3) Protect yourself from the sun: Here in San Diego, everyone has seen someone with a growth on the white of the eye. This growth, called a pingueculum if it’s small, or called a pterygium if it crawls onto the clear part of the eye, comes from too much sun exposure. Here in San Diego, you’ll see it the most in blue-eyed surfers, and anyone who spends all day in the sun. Be sure to wear UV-protective eyewear whenever you’re outside or driving to prevent pingueculum, pterygium, and other eye disorders. Good thing shades are timelessly fashionable – look chic and keep your eyes healthy!
4) Be kind to your hard-working eyes: If you work at a desk in front of a computer all day, there are certain things you can do to make the strain a little less harmful to your eyes. Make sure your workplace has good lighting, take visual breaks frequently by looking out the window at a distant target, and keep eye drops handy if your eyes start to burn or feel dry. The mildest drops are “artificial tears without preservative.” Avoid “get the red out” drops, as they are vasoconstrictors and when they are used chronically they make eyes even redder than before from reflex vasodilation. Artificial tears without preservatives are so neutral that you can use them as often as you like!
5) Be diligent about eye infections: Infectious conjunctivitis, or pink eye, is an extremely common infection that also may be extremely contagious! If you suspect that you have a bacterial eye infection (symptoms include eye pain, green or yellow discharge, excess sensitivity to light) then see your ophthalmologist right away. “Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis,” or classic “pink eye,” a bright red eye without discharge, is usually a viral infection, and spreads like wildfire – from one eye to the other, and from one person to another. Give your ophthalmologist a call, and take precautions to prevent contaminating those around you. Despite any discomfort, keep your hands away from your face; wash your hands immediately after touching your face or eyes; don’t share washcloths, towels, or pillowcases; and wash and sanitize your hands often. Your loved ones will be grateful for your precautions.
6) See an ophthalmologist immediately if you see a sudden shower of black floating spots. A sudden shower of black spots can be the sign of a new retinal hole or even a new retinal detachment, and with prompt treatment within hours, can prevent visual loss.
7) Nutrition: The old “carrots are good for your eyes” saying came from the days when produce was not available year round, and vitamin deficiencies were much more common. A normal, well-balanced diet including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables will keep you out of trouble. You can print out what each person in your family should be eating at: www.mypyramid.gov
8) Go to your doctor for yearly eye exams: Annual eye exams are one of the easiest ways to maintain your eye health. If you visit your doctor on a regular basis, problems and disease can be detected in their early stages and most likely remedied.
Protect your peepers, follow these tips and your eyes will be grateful and working well in the long run!
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Sources:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/photogallery/get-eyeinclusive-health-insurance-9-simple-ways-to-keep-your-eyes-healthy.aspx
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/443138/5_habits_to_maintain_healthy_eyesight.html
http://njtoday.net/2010/08/02/tips-for-keeping-your-familys-eyes-healthy
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Conjunctivitis
https:/www.mypyramid.gov
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