August is National Eye Exam Month – a great reminder that getting your eyes checked regularly is an important part of your annual healthcare routine. The connection to eyesight to your overall health, independence, and quality of life is too important to be ignored.
More reasons eye exam month is important:
- Good vision improves work performance. It’s tough to focus on work if you’re having vision problems, which may contribute to reading and concentration issues. Getting your vision corrected would help – and make you much more efficient and successful at the office.
- Eye exams can help reveal other issues. Eye exams can reveal much more than simply the health of your eyes – such as issues with diabetes, glaucoma, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
- Eye exams offer a preemptive strike. Many diseases that affect the eye often do not have warning symptoms but can have severe effects on vision and eye health later on. Eye conditions can often be easily managed when caught early.
To protect your eyes:
- Make sure your glasses or contacts prescription is up to date and good for looking at a computer screen.
- If your eye strain won’t go away, talk to your doctor about computer glasses.
- Move the screen so your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. That lets you look slightly down at the screen.
- Try to avoid glare from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed.
- Rest your eyes every 20 minutes. Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
For more information check out the American Academy of Ophthalmology or the National Eye Institute.
