Each March is Save Your Vision Month. It’s a month of the year set aside to remind us on the importance of good vision and to encourage us to take care of our eyesight. As your parent has aged, he has probably noticed a change in his vision of some sort. Maybe he doesn’t see as well at night anymore or perhaps he has to use “cheaters” to read the small print on his prescription bottles. Even if his vision hasn’t changed much over the years, it’s still important to take action steps to keep his vision in the best shape it can be by following these recommendations.
Wear Sunglasses
Your parent should be wearing sunglasses each time he goes outside for any extended length of time. Sunglasses will protect his eyes against dangerous UltraViolet rays from the sun. If your parent already wears prescription glasses to see, he can purchase wrap around sunglasses, or the next time your senior care provider brings him to get new glasses, he might want to add prescription sunglasses to that list. Just make sure he chooses a pair that blocks UVA and UVB rays. These steps can help reduce your parent’s risk of developing cataracts and having macular degeneration.
Wear Protective Eye Wear
If your parent still does any work in his shop, like car repairs or maybe working on a hobby like wood crafting, it’s important he dons the correct protective eye wear to make sure his eyes aren’t damaged by flying materials or extreme heat. If he participates in sports activities like racquetball or tennis, protective goggles could save his eyes from a direct hit.
Quit Smoking
Smoking damages the optic nerve, causes macular degeneration, and can lead to an increase in cataracts. While it can be a hard habit to quit, stopping smoking even now will prevent more damage from happening. Even if your parent has tried to quit before and not succeeded, having you and those around him encouraging him to finally quit smoking might be just what he needs to succeed.
Eat well
This is another one of those action steps that not only will improve your parent’s eye health, but will help many other areas of his health as well. Food rich in nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E will help ward off age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataracts. Have your senior care provider assist your parent in creating a shopping list full of items rich in these ingredients.
Stay away from too much screen time
With so many activities now only offered via the television or computer, it can be hard to reduce the amount of time your parent spends in front of a screen. Too much screen time can cause blurry vision, eye strain, and trouble focusing on long distances. If your parent is going to be looking at the screen for a long period of time, encourage him to take a break every 20 minutes by looking away for 20 seconds. He can set up a timer as a reminder if that helps.
Your parent’s vision is worth saving! It is one of the most important areas he needs to be healthy in to remain living independently. With good habits, he hopefully will not have to worry about losing his vision anytime soon.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING HOME CARE IN ZEBULON, NC, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS TODAY. CALL (919) 761-5346.