Almost everyone relies on their eyes to see and make their way around the world. It is essential that you always take care of your eyes so that they can stay healthy for many years.

It is important that you attend regular eye tests, when recommended or if you have any changes in your vision. Some diseases of the eyes can cause long term vision loss, so it is important that you always go to your check-ups to catch it early, and therefore reduce the risk of permanent damage.

Just like our body, it is important that we take care of our eyes. Here are some of the top tips to help keep your eyes healthy and make sure you have perfect vision for as long as possible.  Here are some of our top tips:

• Eat a balanced and healthy diet – try to include lots of fruit and veg in your diet; especially green leafy veg. Eating fish such as salmon and tuna is also very good for eye health.
• Healthy weight – maintaining a healthy weight can help to protect your eyes from diseases such as glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy, which can be brought on by diabetes.
• Exercise regularly – exercise helps to reduce your risk of developing a high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which can all have a negative effect on your eye health and vision.
• Sunglasses – exposure to sunlight can be very damaging and increase your risk of developing cataract and macular degeneration. Always remember to wear your sunglasses!
• Quit smoking – as well as being harmful to your whole body, smoking can damage your optic nerve and increase your chances of developing an eye disease in later life
• Take breaks – looking at a screen for a long period of time can be very harmful for your eyes! Try to follow the 20-20-20 rule; every 20 minutes look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Know your family history – Some eye conditions can be inherited. Let a medical professional know so that they can take each extra precautions when conducting your eye health check