There are a number of things you can do to keep your eyes healthy for as long as possible. This is the advice of chief physician and professor Henrik Vorum.
– Stop smoking: One of the most common causes of severe vision loss in the West is AMD, also known as ‘age spots on the retina’. Smoking may increase the risk of the disease, but we don’t know why. However, the theory is that cigarette smoke affects the small blood vessels in the eye or the immune system.
– Take breaks from the screen and look out the window: There are more and more nearsighted people. Scientists don’t know exactly how this happens. But it is suspected that screen work, where you sit in front of a computer or mobile phone, may be the cause, in combination with heredity. That is why Henrik Vorum has some simple advice: Make sure you take a break from the screen every half hour or so, looking out the window for about a minute. That way you help your eyes relax and light falls on them, which can also affect nearsightedness.
– Wear safety goggles: It may seem obvious, but every year many injuries are caused by fireworks or metal objects, because many people forget to wear safety glasses when setting off fireworks or working with a grinder or metal objects, for example.
– Monitor your blood pressure Highly elevated blood pressure can have a negative effect on your vision, because the small, fine blood vessels in the eye are one of the first to be affected.
– Get checked There are insidious diseases of the eye that you may not even notice. One is green cataracts (glaucoma), where the pressure in the eye is too high. That is why it is also important that you have your eye pressure checked regularly by an optician, for example when you buy new glasses. If you are a close relative of someone with cataracts, it is wise to see an ophthalmologist once a year for a check-up.