March 29, 2024

Living Healthy? Don’t Forget Your Vision!

running-573762_640Posted for Whitten Lasik Eye

Summer is coming and many of us have ramped up our healthy-living ante! Whether you’re busting your butt for a bikini body, or you’re just making small changes to improve your lifestyle, Dr. Mark Whitten at Whitten Laser Eye want to ensure you don’t forget your eyes!

Taking care of your eyes should be a priority just like eating healthy and exercising regularly. Your ocular health is just as important as general health, but is often ignored. Repeated and prolonged exposure to the sun, poor diet and other factors can irreparably damage your vision.

This summer, Dr. Mark Whitten encourages you to make your eye health a priority by educating yourself on ways to protect your vision.

Ways to protect your vision

1. Schedule regular comprehensive dilated eye exams.
2. Eat right to protect your sight! Incorporate lots of dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach into your diet as well as fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, trout and halibut.
3. Know your family’s eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone if your family has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition since these can sometimes be hereditary.
4. If you smoke, quit. Smoking increases your risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
5. Wear protective eyewear when participating in certain sports or activities such as yard work, painting, and home repairs.
6. Wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100% ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation.
7. If you wear contacts, make sure to wash your hands before removing your lenses and to cleanse them properly to avoid infection.

Some other factors that can negatively affect your eye health include:

  • Do you spend a great deal of time outdoors?
  • Do you spend time skiing, mountain climbing or at the beach?
  • Do you use a sunlamp or a tanning parlor?
  • Do you live in the mountains or the United States Sunbelt?
  • Are you a welder, medical technologist, or do you work in the graphic arts or in the manufacture of electronic circuit boards?
  • Do you take prescription or over-the-counter drugs that can increase your sensitivity to UV radiation (check with your optometrist, pharmacist, or physician)?

For more information on eye health, LASIK surgery, cataract surgery or contact alternatives contact Dr. Mark Whitten at one of his Whitten Laser Eye facilities in Charlotte Hall, MD (301) 678-9969 or Richmond, VA (804) 527-1963. Get more information here.

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