My father found out one day that he had glaucoma when he closed one eye and could not see out of the other.
Once you lose your vision, it impacts your life in a thousand ways.
The basics of caring for your eyes will sound a lot like other ways of caring for your health. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables along with fish that are high in omega 3 fatty acids. Exercise regularly. Don’t smoke. And as you get older, have periodic eye exams that test for glaucoma and other diseases of the eye. Wearing sunglasses helps to prevent cataracts and macular degeneration. Glasses should block out at least 99% of ultraviolet radiation.
If you work all day at a computer, practice the 20-20-20 Rule: for every 20 minutes looking at a screen, look away 20 feet for at least 20 seconds. Resting your eyes at work will help protect you in the long term.
My father eventually got back some of his vision when his glaucoma was treated, but he was lucky. I hope you will care your eyes now so that your vision will remain strong all of your life.
This is Dr. Scott Morris for Church Health.