Being a mom comes with multiple responsibilities. You have to care for your family, manage the household, help kids with homework, and, of course, hit the targets set by your boss.
And with so much on their plate, it becomes easy to overlook their eye health, putting them at high risk of developing visual problems like eye strain, dryness, and presbyopia, to mention but a few.
But did you know keeping eye health at par doesn’t have to be complicated?
That’s true!
With a few simple adjustments to your routine, every mom can easily safeguard their eye health and maintain good vision for years to come.
In this blog post, I will be exploring some of the practical tips that moms can use to manage their eye health and stay ahead of vision problems, so let’s dive right in!
7 Practical Tips & Strategies For Promoting Eye Health In Moms
Maintaining healthy eyes is essential for daily activities, learning, and general well-being. That’s why, as a mom, you must ensure you don’t neglect eye care, as poor eye health will affect your productivity in all other areas.
Here are some of the strategies to keep your eyes healthy as a mom:
1. Regular Checkups & Maintenance
You probably didn’t expect this tip to come first. However, we see it as a priority because although essential, going for regular eye checkups and maintenance is something that most moms out there neglect.
Regular eye exams are one of the best ways to care for your eyes and prevent illnesses and injuries. It even allows for early diagnosis of common eye problems such as glaucoma, a condition that’s now affecting over 3 million Americans. That improves the chances of a favorable prognosis, as the progressive condition can eventually lead to vision loss.
Ideally, you should go for an eye checkup every one or two years, but there’s no harm in doing it even more often.
And thanks to technological advancements, you don’t necessarily need to walk into a physical clinic or book an appointment with an eye doctor. Instead, you can now use eye disease management technologies at your home’s convenience to assess your eye health.
For instance, you can consider monitoring glaucoma with home tonometers, an innovation designed to determine intraocular pressure (IOP), a cornerstone for diagnosing and managing glaucoma risks.
Regular checkups and maintenance at home or clinic can promote long-term eye health by reducing the chances of disease occurrence and helping you manage any conditions before they snowball into serious issues.
2. Eat Well
You’re exactly what you eat. To promote your eye health, ensure you get all the nutrients known to promote eye health in your diet.
Take foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lutein & Zeaxanthin, zinc, and vitamins A, C, and E to help prevent vision-related issues.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These help reduce inflammation and signs of eye dryness. Fish, salmon, tuna, sardines, walnuts, and flaxseeds are all high in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Lutein and Zeaxanthin: These antioxidants protect the macula, the part of the eye responsible for central vision. You can get them from leafy greens like spinach, collard greens, and kale, foods like eggs, and fruits like oranges and kiwi.
- Vitamin A: This vitamin maintains the surface of the eyes, promoting general vision. Foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach are rich in this nutrient.
- Vitamin C and E: These nutrients keep the eyes from oxidative stress. You can get them from citrus fruits, nuts, and seeds.
- Zinc: This mineral maintains the retina and, together with Vitamin A, forms melanin, an essential pigmentation that protects the eyes from UV light. Yogurt, legumes, oysters, and dark chocolate are all good sources of this mineral.
By taking these healthy foods, you can improve your eye health and minimize eye health risks associated with inadequacy in some nutrients. If you have other underlying health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, always consult your doctor before making any dietary adjustments.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Scientists recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day. But did you know this amount of sleep isn’t just good for your overall health?
Getting enough sleep is one of the secrets you can deploy to improve your eye health as a mum.
Your eyes strain a lot during the day. An average of 8 hours of sleep daily ensures enough time for your eyes to relax and rejuvenate, preventing eye dryness, puffiness, blurred vision, and other eye-related conditions.
And remember to embrace other healthy sleeping habits to ensure quality sleep. For instance, avoid screens an hour or so before bedtime. Remove makeup before bed so it doesn’t irritate your eyelids and lashes, and remember to dim your lights.
4. Exercise Regularly
We’ve all heard that exercising regularly is one of the healthy habits for managing the waistline and keeping your body fit. But that’s not the only reason you should stick to that morning run or the current gym routine. Much like adequate sleep, regular exercise can significantly impact your visual health.
Regular exercise minimizes the chances of getting Type 2 diabetes, a condition that is common among overweight and obese folks. The risk people with diabetes 2 have is that this kind destroys the tiny blood vessels in the eyes, impairing vision.
And as you do your regular body exercise, incorporate eye exercises. These exercises target the eyes, making them a great complement to your usual workout routine.
Simple exercises like rolling your eyes in a circular motion or gazing at a point and then shifting the focus to another point can effectively relax the muscles around the eyes.
5. Try the 20-20-20 Rule
Our eyes strain a lot during the day, especially when working at a computer. That’s why every time you are on your computer, you must remember to embrace the simple 20-20-20 Rule.
The 20-20-20 Rule dictates that after every 20 minutes you spend looking at a computer, stop and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It’s a great technique to relax your eyes and improve their overall health.
6. Remain Hydrated
Are you taking enough water? As a mom, it’s easy to forget to follow simple healthy tips like keeping yourself hydrated. But if you want to triumph over eye conditions even before the battle begins, take enough water.
Water isn’t just good for promoting digestion and giving you a younger-looking skin. It can also help you maintain a healthy water level in the body, preventing your eyes from dryness, irritation, and other conditions likely to emanate from dehydration.
The rule of thumb is to target 8 to 10 glasses of water daily. That’s for a regular mom. If you’re an expecting mom, breastfeeding, or physically active, you might want to target 12 hours of water every day.
7. Wear Protective Eyewear
As you check on your diet, get enough sleep, and all the other tips we’ve shared, remember to invest in good protective eyewear.
You need to keep your eyes safe from any physical damage. Sharp objects, chemicals, dust, wood shavings, and metal shards are not good for your eyes.
So get yourself a rigid eyewear to protect your eyes from eye injury. We have tough safety glasses, some made from polycarbonate, a material that’s 10 times tougher than other forms of plastic.
When going out on a sunny day, also wear sunglasses. In that case, you will need a pair of goggles that block at least 99% UV light, per the National Eye Institute. They will help protect you against UV-induced eye conditions like Photokeratitis.
Conclusion
Eye health is an essential part of self-care for moms. And thankfully, it’s simpler than most moms think. All it takes is making little adjustments to their everyday life, such as going for regular eye checkups and maintenance, eating healthy foods, staying hydrated, and other practical tips shared in this article.
Taking proactive steps today ensures long-term eye wellness, allowing moms to continue caring for their families without unnecessary discomfort. Start incorporating these tips into your daily routine and prioritize your eye health — because healthy vision means a healthier, happier life! And remember to always talk to your doctor or eye care professional if you’re experiencing something unusual with your eyes.
