Once again, here are my suggestions for 2020 New Year’s Resolutions to keep your eyesight sharp, and your eyes comfortable all year long:
- Everyone: Have regular eye exams. Don’t forget how important it is to have healthy eyes.
- Computer users: Take frequent breaks and don’t forget to blink. Your blink rate drops significantly while you are on the computer. BLINK, BLINK, BLINK.
- Smokers: This year again, stop smoking. Smoking increases your risk for both cataracts and age related macular degeneration.
- Contact lens wearers: Don’t sleep in your contact lenses and replace your disposable contact lenses regularly .
- Everybody: Watch your weight and your blood pressure.
- Diabetics: Control your blood glucose. Diabetics have an increased risk for diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma.
- Everybody: Take a daily multi-vitamin loaded with antioxidants.
- Athletes: Use protective eye wear made of durable polycarbonate lenses.
- Everybody: Wear sunglasses with 100% UV protection.
- Everybody: Know your family history for glaucoma and other eye disorders.
- Travelers: Frequently apply artificial tears when in-flight. That long flight to Las Vegas will dry yours eyes. They don’t call it the “red eye” for nothing.
- Young males: Stay away from firecrackers this New Year’s.
Common symptoms of dry eyes can be stinging or burning eyes. This can be accompanied with excessive tearing and a a sandy or gritty sensation; or episodes of blurred vision and redness. Some of the risk factors for dry eyes are age, hormonal changes, side effects from certain medications and auto-immune disorders, such as arthritis. Nearly 5 million Americans 50 years of age and older are estimated to have dry eye. Of these, more than 3 million are women . Dry eye is particularly common after menopause. Dry eye may be increasing among young people due to extended use of computers, tablets, and smart phones. Treatment include topical lubricants and prescription drops that enhance the eye’s tear film.
