What Your Eyes Need to Thrive
We take vision for granted until it starts slipping away. Vision loss affects millions of Americans, interfering with driving, reading, recognizing faces—basically everything that makes independent living possible. The good news is that many of the conditions that steal sight develop silently, progressing for years before you notice anything’s wrong. Here are 10 ways to protect your vision before trouble strikes and 10 habits that may be causing your eyes harm.
1. Get Dilated Eye Exams
This is the single most effective thing you can do. Comprehensive eye exams with dilation are the only way to catch many eye diseases early, when they’re still treatable. During dilation, your eye doctor puts drops in to widen your pupils, then uses specialized magnifying lenses to inspect the back of your eye, including the retina, blood vessels, and the optic nerve.
2. Wear UV-Blocking Sunglasses
UV radiation from the sun accelerates damage to your eyes, increasing risks for cataracts and macular degeneration. A study by Johns Hopkins University found that up to 20% of the sun’s rays leak through the sides of typical sunglasses, which is why wraparound styles work better. The most important aspect of sunglasses is not the style but whether they block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
3. Load Up on Lutein and Zeaxanthin
These carotenoids concentrate in the part of your retina responsible for central vision, where they absorb harmful blue and ultraviolet light. Dark leafy greens like kale and spinach are primary sources. Colorful fruits and vegetables like corn, peppers, persimmons, and tangerines also pack these nutrients.
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4. Quit Smoking
Current and former smokers face up to four times the risk of developing macular degeneration compared to people who never smoked. Smoking damages blood vessels throughout your body, including the tiny capillaries supplying your eyes with oxygen and nutrients. It also promotes inflammation and generates free radicals that attack retinal cells.
5. Exercise Regularly
Physical activity boosts blood flow to your eyes, delivering nutrients and clearing waste products. A long-term study of over 15,000 people found that those who exercised regularly experienced less vision loss over 20 years than sedentary individuals.
6. Control Blood Sugar Levels
Diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels in your retina, causing diabetic retinopathy and risking blindness. High blood sugar makes vessel walls leak blood and fluid into the eye, distorting vision. There are four stages of diabetic retinopathy, and most people show no symptoms until the final stage, when damage is severe.
7. Eat Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Salmon, tuna, and other cold-water fish provide omega-3 fatty acids crucial for retinal function and visual development. These fats help prevent dry eye syndrome by supporting the oily outer layer of your tear film. They also reduce inflammation throughout your body, including in your eyes.
8. Take AREDS Formula Supplements
The Age‑Related Eye Disease Study proved that specific nutrient combinations reduce late-stage AMD risk by 25%. The AREDS2 formula includes vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin. This formula helps those with intermediate AMD or advanced AMD slow progression.
9. Use Protective Eyewear During Risky Activities
Lawn mowing, power tool use, sports, and home repairs risk flinging debris into your eyes. Eye injuries are surprisingly common and often preventable. A wood chip, metal shard, or stray elbow during basketball can cause permanent damage.
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10. Manage Chronic Health Conditions
High blood pressure and high cholesterol damage blood vessels in your retina just like diabetes does. Conditions like multiple sclerosis can cause optic nerve inflammation, leading to pain and vision loss. Keeping these conditions under control with medication, diet, and exercise protects your eyes along with the rest of your body.
And now, here are ten habits that are ruining your vision.
1. Rubbing Your Eyes Aggressively
It may feel good in the moment, but frequent eye rubbing damages the clear dome covering your iris. It can lead to keratoconus, a condition where the cornea thins and bulges into a cone shape, causing blurry, distorted vision that glasses can’t fully correct.
2. Excessive Screen Time
Digital screens reduce your blink rate from 15–20 blinks per minute down to just 3–5 blinks. That causes dry eye symptoms and eye strain. The American Optometric Association found that 58% of adults have experienced digital eye strain. People who spend two or more continuous hours at screens daily are at greatest risk.
3. Skipping Sunglasses
Leaving your eyes unprotected exposes them to UV radiation that accumulates over your lifetime. Extended exposure can lead to photokeratitis, pterygium, cataracts, and macular degeneration. UV damage is cumulative and irreversible.
4. Smoking
Smokers are four times more likely to lose their vision compared to non-smokers. Smoking accelerates macular degeneration, promotes cataract formation, worsens diabetic retinopathy, causes optic nerve damage, and increases glaucoma risk.
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5. Sleeping in Contact Lenses
Your eyes need oxygen, and contact lenses reduce the amount that reaches your cornea. Sleeping in contacts compounds the problem and dramatically increases infection risk. Removing dry lenses in the morning can also scratch the cornea.
6. Poor Nutrition
If you’re not eating fruits, vegetables, and omega-3-rich fish, you’re likely deficient in key nutrients your eyes need. Vitamins A, C, and E, plus zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids all support vision health. The standard American diet often falls short.
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7. Skipping Eye Exams
Many eye diseases progress silently. Glaucoma gradually steals peripheral vision, AMD can erode central vision for years, and diabetic retinopathy advances through four stages with no symptoms until severe damage occurs.
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8. Ignoring Diabetes and Hypertension
Uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure destroy tiny retinal blood vessels. Diabetic retinopathy can cause vessels to leak and bleed, leading to blindness if untreated. Hypertensive retinopathy can produce similar harm due to chronic pressure.
9. Sleeping in Eye Makeup
Doing this occasionally isn’t catastrophic, but doing it habitually can worsen dry eye disease and raise risk for infections, styes, and irritation. Makeup placed near eyelid margins can block oil glands and aggravate dryness.
10. Overusing Redness-Reducing Eye Drops
Over-the-counter redness drops constrict blood vessels. Using them occasionally is fine, but frequent long-term use can cause rebound redness, trapping you in a cycle where eyes appear redder than before.
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