New Year's Eye Care Resolutions

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is behind us, it is time to start packing up the Christmas decorations and preparing yourself and your family for the start of another year. Whether you are planning on ringing in 2012 with a festive party that counts down to midnight, or you prefer a quiet night at home to reflect on the past year, there is one common  New Years routine that is a tradition for people all over the world: resolutions.

New Year’s resolutions are a chance for us to look back on what we wish we could have improved on in the past and finally pledge to change our bad habits going into a fresh new year. However, while many people typically create their resolutions around health and fitness goals―an improved diet, a regular fitness routine, becoming more active, etc.―why not spend this year focusing on improving the health and well-being of your vision?

Many people often assume that because their vision is stable, their eyes are healthy. However, this is not always the case. Regular eye examinations cannot onlyhelp to protect your vision and help prevent future problems, but it can also help to uncover evidence of many different diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.

However, eye exams are not the only way in which you should be taking care of your vision in the upcoming new year. We have put together several simple steps that will help to ensure that your eyes and your vision health stays strong in 2012, and beyond.

Contact Care

If you are a daily wearer of contact lenses, it is important that you follow necessary steps when it comes tocleaning and maintaining your contacts. For instance, you should always take out your contact lenses when you go to sleep at night and follow the FDA recommended replacement schedule when it comes time to change them out. You should also make a resolution to use only the recommended disinfection solution, and to change your contact case every three months to make sure that you are keeping your lenses clean.

Vision and Electronics

The amount of time that we spend in front of television and computer screens may not be able to permanently damage our vision, but it still can take a significant toll on your productivity and work performance. Eyes can become dry, irritated and red when they are in front of a screen for too long. Therefore, be sure to follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away. This will help to make sure that your eyes stay healthy and hydrated.

Sun Protection

It is no secret that UV rays can be very damaging to our vision and eye health. Therefore, why not invest in a protective pair of prescription sunglasses  this year so that you can prevent exposure to the dangerous sunlight when you are outside. If you are outside a lot, you may also wish to purchase a hat or any other kind of protective clothing that will give you an extra layer of protection against UV rays.

When it comes to our vision, preventative maintenance and regular eye exams can go a long way towards keeping your eyes healthy all year long. Therefore, be sure to follow these three simple steps to ensure that 2012 will be a year for healthy vision.