Adopt these habits today — to help preserve your vision tomorrow

If you naturally have 20/20 vision, lucky you! And for those of us who wear glasses or contacts to correct our vision, we’re pretty lucky, too. Our eyesight is precious, but as we age, our risk of developing some of the most common causes of blindness — glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and cataracts — goes up.

Did you know that developing a few healthy habits now might help preserve your vision for years to come? Here are some things you can do:

Have a comprehensive eye exam

Even if you feel you’re seeing just fine, it’s important to have regular eye exams — your eye care professional will tell you how often you should have an exam. Early signs of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, for example, can be detected before you’re aware of any symptoms. Early treatment for both these conditions can help minimize or slow vision loss.

And, sometimes, signs of diabetes and high blood pressure can affect your eyes in ways your eye care professional can see during a routine exam.

Eat your vitamins

Research shows that many nutrients can help protect vision, including:

• Vitamin A. This antioxidant helps protect the surface of the eyes. Some animal-based foods are high in vitamin A, including cheese and oily fish. Your body can also produce vitamin A from carotenoids found in vegetables like sweet potatoes, leafy green vegetables and carrots.

• Vitamin C. Found in fruits and vegetables like broccoli, grapefruit, strawberries and oranges, this antioxidant helps lower the risk of cataracts.

• Vitamin E. Nuts, sunflower seeds and avocado contain vitamin E, which may slow damage from age-related macular degeneration.

• Lutein. Found in leafy green vegetables, lutein is thought to filter harmful blue light that enters the eyes and limit damage to the retina.

Follow the 20/20/20 rule

If you spend a lot of time staring at a computer, smartphone or tablet screen — or any one thing — you can forget to blink and your eyes can become fatigued. Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for about 20 seconds. This change in focus can help you reduce eyestrain, and can also help you blink more often, which lubricates your eyes.

Wear shades

Sunglasses make a great fashion statement, but their most important job is to protect your eyes from excessive UV exposure, which can damage the front and back of your eyes and contribute to many vision problems. Wear a good-quality pair of sunglasses that wraps around your eye area, making sure the lenses provide 100% of UV spectrum protection.

Wear protective eyewear

They’re not as fashionable as sunglasses, but most protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is 10 times stronger than other plastics. Depending on the activities you’re involved in — home improvement chores, gardening, sports — your eye care professional can recommend the type you might need: safety glasses or goggles, safety shield or eye guards.

Know your family’s eye health history

Many eye conditions or diseases are hereditary. Knowing your family’s eye health history will help you know if you’re at higher risk for certain conditions.

Quit smoking

If you’re a smoker, here’s one more reason to quit: Smoking is as hard on your eyes as it is on the rest of your body. Research shows smoking is linked to an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataract and optic nerve damage.

Safely handle and store contacts

If you’ve worn contacts for years, you’re already a pro at this, but never let down on your hand-washing technique before inserting or removing contact lenses from your eyes. Make sure to disinfect and/or clean them as directed. Also, replace your contacts as often as suggested.