Protect your eyesight with these seven tips for eye-healthy nutrition, lifestyle, and preventive care.

Get the Best Nutrients for Good Vision

Protecting your eyes starts with the food on your plate. Regularly eating these foods can help lead to good eye health:

• Green, leafy vegetables
• Salmon, tuna, and other oily fish
• Eggs, nuts, beans and other non-meat protein sources
• Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices

Get rid of the habit of smoking for Better Eyesight

If you smoke, here's another good reason to quit tobacco. Smoking has been linked to an increased risk of cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration.

Wear Sunglasses for Good Vision

There are two good reasons to wear sunglasses whenever you spend time outside in the sun:

• Sunglasses look cool.
• The right kind of sunglasses will help protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.
• Too much UV exposure increases your risk for cataracts and macular degeneration.

Use Safety Eyewear at Home, at Work, and While Playing Sports

If you work with hazardous or airborne materials at work or home, wearing safety glasses or protective goggles can protect your eyes from injury, vision loss, and blindness.

Look Away From the Computer for Good Eye Health

Staring at a computer can strain your vision. Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a condition that occurs from frequent computer use. Studies suggest that nearly 90% of people that use a computer at least three hours a day suffer from some type of visual problem or complaint.

Protect your eye health by taking the following steps:

• Make sure your glasses prescription is up to date and adequate for computer use.
• Position your computer so that your eyes are level with the top of the monitor.
• Try to avoid glare on your computer from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed.
• Choose a comfortable, supportive chair. Position it so that your feet are flat on the floor.
• Remember to blink often, which can help prevent dry eyes.
• Rest your eyes by looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
• Every two hours, get up and take a 15-minute break.

Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly

Everyone, even young children, should have their eyes examined regularly. This is particularly important for good eye health as well as overall health. Regular, comprehensive eye exams can help you protect your sight and make sure that you are seeing your best.As you age, your risk increases for some eye diseases, such as glaucoma, that have no symptoms. So it's possible to have this condition and not know it. Major medical advances for age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts can help people with these conditions maintain their vision. By having regular eye exams, you can catch any eye problems early on when they are easier to treat.

Safety Tips: Eye Protection

Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly

• you are above 40 years of age or if you are diabetic
• you have a growth on the eyelid
• you have a family history of glaucoma
• you experience a change in vision, such as blurring, double vision,
• your eyes experience pain, persistent irritation
• you have itching, discharge, dryness or a foreign body
• you have red or watery eyes
• you are taking steroids