Do You Know That May Is A Healthy Vision Month

While World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October, Healthy Vision Month, is a national eye healthy observance designed to elevate vision as a healthy priority for the Nation.

It was established in May 2003 by the National Eye Institute (NEI), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The need to establish Healthy Vision Month arises when it was observed that millions of people living in the Unites States have undetected vision problems, eye diseases and conditions. Hence May as a Healthy Vision Month serves as a means to empower the public to make their eye health a necessary priority and educate them on how they can care and protect their vision.

Photo Credit: @smartoptometry

During Healthy Vision Month the National Eye Institute recommends the following:

Comprehensive dilated eye examination; Because there is no warning signs (signs and symptoms) attached to most eye diseases, getting a dilated eye exam at least once every year is the only way to detect if you have eye problem or not. If you haven't had a comprehensive dilated eye exam for a long time please schedule one this month.

Living a healthy lifestyle; Studies have shown that eating healthy diets, engaging in physical activities, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, minimizing the amount of alcoholic intake and managing chronic conditions can reduce your risk of developing eye problems.

Being aware your family history; Since some eye diseases and disorders are hereditary, it is essential to know if anyone in your family has been diagnosed with an eye disease before. Hence you should see this month as an opportunity to talk to your family members about their eye health.

Wear Sunglasses; Protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiations by wearing sunglasses that can block out 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiations. A hat or face cap can also offer a great protection as well.

Make use of protective eye wear; You should protect your eyes from injuries when playing sports, during domestic chores or working in industries by wearing safety shields, safety glasses, eye guards and goggles.

Recommended: How to Care for Your Eyes

According to NEI taking the above steps can help an individual prevent many eye diseases, eye conditions, vision loss and blindness from occurring in the nearest future.

Just like eating healthy diets and engaging in physical exercise and activities, taking good care of your eyes and vision should be a necessary priority as well. This is because healthy vision will not only keep your eyes healthy but will also keep you safe each day. If you haven't had an eye exam for some time, this month is a perfect month for you to schedule an appointment with an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Photo Credit: www.prnewswire.com

Source: National Eye Institute (NEI)