Our eyes are such an important organ. They enable us to see the wonders of the world around us from beautiful sunsets to our beautiful grandchildren.

Unfortunately, as we get older, our eye health can start to deteriorate, and this can end up in difficulty seeing, and blindness for many people. The good news is, there are lots of things we can do to help our eyes age as healthily as possible, including the following:

Visit the optician

The most important thing you can do to maintain healthy eyes as you age is to visit an optician regularly. Ideally, you should be having your eyes checked out at least once every 6 months once you are over 40.

This is important because your risk of various eye conditions, such as glaucoma and retinal damage starts to increase at middle age, and the sooner your optician sports them, the better your prognosis is likely to be.

Wear sunglasses

You are never too old to wear sunglasses. They are not just a tool for making young people look cooler; they are an important tool for protecting your eyes from the sun’s UV rays too.

At every age, we should be wearing sunglasses to shield our eyes from the sun, but this is even more important as we get older because sunglasses can help to protect against macular degeneration which, in its advanced stages, can leave you blind. Keep the sun out and keep your eyes healthy.

Treat drooping lids

Something that can often happen as you get older, is that your eyelids start to droop lower than they used to. This is a condition known as ptosis and it usually happens because, as we get older, our muscle tone deteriorates and our eyelids drop down as a result, but it can also be caused by things like long-term contact lens use and cataract surgery too.

Luckily, there are very effective eye drops for ptosis, which is you use them regularly, will help to gradually lift your lids again, so you can see more effectively. This is important because you need to use your eyes effectively regularly to maintain your vision.

Eat a healthy diet

It seems like a healthy diet is the cure for most of what ails you, and although that might not exactly be true, it is fair to say that the healthier your diet as you age, the healthier your eyes are likely to be too.

For one thing, conditions like type 2 diabetes can cause damage to your eyes, and you are more likely to develop diabetes if you eat a lot of sugar and junk food, and for another, fruits and vegetables contain lots of important vitamins and minerals that help to keep your eyes healthy.

Yellow and orange fruits and veggies, and dark leafy greens are particularly good for your eyes, but eating a wide range of fresh produce and minimizing your sugar intake generally, will help you to have healthier eyes as you age.

Give up smoking

If you smoke, then you will know that it is really bad for your general health and your body. Your risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease are likely to be much higher than non-smoking peers, for example. But, did you know that smoking is also really bad for eye health too?

Smoking can reduce blood flow to the eyes, which can result in conditions like macular degeneration and retinopathy, which can make it harder for you to see well, and even cause blindness.

Giving up smoking can be scary when it has been part of your life for so long, but there are counselors and other health professionals who can help you to gradually reduce your intake, so be sure to get in touch with them.

Give your eyes a break

Instead of spending all day every day staring at your computer screen, your book or your needlework, for example, take regular five-minute breaks where you let your eyes relax and unfocus., This will help to prevent eye fatigue and strain, which will help you to take better care of your peepers and prevent you from getting stress headaches too. Your eyes are important and they deserve a rest!

As you can see, there are a number of simple things you can do to take good care of your eyes as you advance in years, and taking good care of them will mean you can continue to do the things you love for longer, so take good eye health seriously.