Many physical changes affect your life if you are in your 40s. Seeing or vision is one of them. As you enter middle age, your eyes need extra care to function effectively. It is requisite to be aware of age-related changes in your eyesight after 40. People often need reading glasses or bifocals in their forties. The reason being is that, with increasing age, the lens in the eye becomes hard, less flexible, and impairs the ability to focus up close. Health experts at emeds pharmacy have compiled 5 basic steps to help you keep your eyes healthy even after the age of 40.
You can’t prevent your eyes from ageing, but you can slow age-related damage by taking care of your eye health.
Eat Healthy and Maintain Your Weight
What we eat and what we weigh directly impact our eye health. It is vital to be careful about your overall health after 40. Try to eat good and healthy and have a well-maintained weight. The eyes need adequate nutrients to have healthy vision and eye health. Make sure your diet contains foods rich in eye-protecting nutrients like,
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Zeaxanthin
- Zinc
- Lutein
Eat foods that are rich in Vitamin A, vitamin C, Vitamin E, copper, and zinc. Try to add fish, eggs, carrots, dark leafy greens, and sweet potatoes to your diet.
Lutein and zeaxanthin protect eyes from sun damage and blue light. Eating healthy is not enough; you also have to maintain a healthy weight. Obesity may increase the risk of severe eye diseases, for instance, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and wet macular degeneration. Omega 3 fatty acids, lutein, and zeaxanthin prevent Macular Degeneration from developing to an advanced stage. They can tend to lower the risks of the “dry” form of MD transforming into “wet” macular degeneration. It is a rarer yet faster-developing form of the disease that can cause sudden and significant vision loss.
Wear Protective Eyewear
It is a must to take special care of your eyes after 40 as you can get various eye problems if you are careless. It is a rule of thumb to wear protective eyewear if you play sports or do projects around the home. Make sure to wear appropriate eyewear if you are busy doing:
Home projects
Protective eyewear may protect your eyes from injury and debris, like sawdust or wood chips.
Garden Work
If you have a plan to mow your lawn, trim bushes, prune trees, or weed whack, do not forget to wear protective eyewear. A stray branch or even a tiny stone can cause serious eye injury.
Sports
It is requisite to wear protective eyewear in sports like swimming, shooting/hunting, motorcycling, tennis, badminton, and Polo. Anything can enter your eye while playing that may have disastrous effects.
Wear Sunglasses
The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays may damage the eye’s tissues, cornea, and lens. The UV rays may also increase the risk of developing cataracts and other eye diseases. So make sure to protect your eyes when you are outside. Always wear UV-blocking sunglasses, and if you are going to be in the sun for an extended period, consider adding a hat. Wide-brimmed options are the best for keeping your eyes protected.
The skin of the eyelid is the thinnest of the whole body’s skin. UV damage prompts dryness, sagging, wrinkles, accentuated skin furrows, loss of elasticity, and mottled pigmentation. The eye’s front surface tends to absorb 99 % of the UV radiation. This UV damage on the eye’s surface prompts cancerous and noncancerous growths, like pterygium and pinguecula. Damage to the cornea may occur when UV light reflects off the water, like when you’re engaging in water sports or skiing.
Quit Smoking
It is established that smoking is injurious to health, but you also need to know how bad it is for your eyes. Smoking may contribute to blindness. It also reduces the number of antioxidants beneficial to your eyes. If you’re a smoker, it is time to quit. Studies prove that smoking may increase the risk of:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Age-related macular degeneration
Smoking may eventually lead to loss of vision. Prioritise your eye health and not just think start taking steps to quit smoking. If you’re not a smoker, make sure that you never start.
Schedule Regular Eye Examination
Eye changes tend to occur more swiftly among people after 40. Keeping your eyes healthy requires consistent care. The older one gets, the more essential it is to have regular eye checkups, especially if you have any eye problems or diabetes symptoms. Immediately consult an optometrist if you notice any problem in seeing or reading. Most people wait to get an eye exam until they get an eyesight issue. Getting an eye exam earlier can help diagnose problems before they become severe. Many eyesight problems can be taken care of if diagnosed early. Make sure you get proper medical attention if you experience:
- Any changes to your vision, like blurriness
- Flashes of lightDouble or tunnel vision
- Eye pain/ strain/fatigue
- Redness/swelling around your eye or eyelid
- Worsened nearsightedness
- Dry eyes
