Keeping Your Eyes Healthy

Health & Wellbeing tags

A lady holding her hands in front of her eyes - her fingers and thumbs are making a heart shape

We are here to support anyone living with sight loss across the regions we cover. We also work to raise awareness of how to keep your eyes healthy as we know that around half of all sight loss is avoidable with early detection and treatment.

Here are some simple steps you can take to protect your vision.

Regular Eye Tests

Having an eye test at least once every two years is the best way you can ensure your eyes stay healthy. Detecting eye conditions as early as possible may mean early treatment can help stop your vision becoming severely affected.

Eye tests can also reveal underlying health issues like diabetes and high blood pressure, which often show no obvious symptoms.

You may be eligible for a free NHS eye test and help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses, ask you optician.

Urgent Symptoms

If you experience sudden blurred or reduced vision, floaters, eye pain, itchy, sore, or red eyes, swollen eyelids, scratched eyes, or flashing lights with or without floaters, book an urgent appointment with an optician.

Quite Smoking

Smoking significantly increases the risk of developing eye conditions like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts and can worsen diabetes related sight problems. Passive smoking is almost as harmful as smoking yourself. Quitline has counsellors on hand to help you quit, call 0800 00 22 00.

A boy wearing protective eye glasses, he is holding a tennis racquet over his shoulder..

Eye Safety

Each year, many eye injuries occur during DIY tasks, so always wear safety glasses. Sports, particularly those involving racquets, can also pose a risk — using protective eyewear will help to keep your vision safe.

Screen Time Management

While looking at a screen won’t damage, or cause permanent changes to your eyes, prolonged screen use can cause eye strain, so it’s important to take regular breaks. Try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Glare on your screen can also contribute to eye strain, so ensure your screen is positioned properly.

A lady standing in front of the sea is wearing a pink shirt and pink sunglasses

Sun Protection

Protect your eyes from the sun all year round by wearing sunglasses. UVA and UVB rays can damage your eyes and increase the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Choose sunglasses, glasses, or contact lenses with built-in UV filters, and ensure they have a CE mark or meet British Standard BS EN ISO 12312-1.

Advice From Our Advisors

Our Community Sight Loss Advisors are here to offer information, advice and guidance, call us to make an appointment to see your local Advisor or come along to one of our drop in sessions at our monthly hubs.

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