4 Ways College Students Can Care For Their Eye Health

Between struggling to maintain a balance between a thriving social life and a successful academic life, you may find it hard to focus on your eye health as a college student. However, it is important to keep your ocular health a top priority. There are a few different ways that you can easily and inexpensively care for your eye health. Here are four ways college students can care for their eye health both before and after visiting an eye doctor.

Eat foods that support your eye health daily.

Your diet plays a big part in your health to begin with, but you can also eat with the goal of keeping your eyes healthy. There is a variety of different foods to choose from in order to meet this goal. Oranges and eggs are high in lutein, a vitamin that supports eye health. You can easily eat a meal that supports your eye health during breakfast, or snack on an orange between classes. Other foods include nuts and seeds, such as peanuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds; these foods are rich in vitamin E, which helps to support the healthiness of your ocular tissues and helps you fight macular degeneration.

Adhere to the 20-20-20 rule.

As a student, you must constantly use a computer to access learning materials and complete your assignments. Constantly looking at a screen, whether it is a computer, tablet, or a smartphone, can cause your eyes to become tired and contribute to headaches. In order to effectively work with screens, you should adhere to the 20-20-20 rule. The 20-20-20 rule consists of looking at a point 20 feet away from the screen every 20 minutes that you work for 20 seconds. This allows you eyes to rest from the brightness of the screen and also keeps your neck mobile.

Wear dark glasses when you go outside.

UV rays from the sun are damaging to your eyes. When you go outside, you should wear dark glasses with UV protection. This barrier acts like sunscreen for your eyes and minimizes damage from UV rays. You should also wear dark glasses in areas that have a large amount of glare, such as if you go snowboarding in the mountains during the winter.

Cease smoking to benefit your ocular health.

Smoking results in a variety of health risks. If you are a smoker, then you are at a much higher risk of macular degeneration and developing cataracts. Smoking also damages your optic nerve. Talk to a health care professional about programs that support smoking cessation.

Share