The National Eye Institute (NEI) of the United States of America, in partnership with the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF), aims to strengthen their goal of increasing public knowledge and awareness regarding the importance of making eye health a top priority, along with the other aspects of health, such as the physical and mental.

For this year, the institute wanted to partner up with other eye-health organizations to further widen and increase their net for disseminating crucial information for eye and vision health.

For starters, they kicked off the awareness program by launching a series of steps and suggestions every individual can do to start their path down improving vision and eye health.

The institute places emphasis on prevention and early detection, especially since most eye problems go undetected until they’re in the late stages. Aside from being uncomfortable and sometimes excruciatingly painful, eye problems are extremely expensive and time-consuming.

Here are 4 tips that the NEI recommends:

[b]Adopt a healthy lifestyle.[/b]
Eating the right kind of food significantly reduces your risks of acquiring vision-related problems, especially later in life.

Doctors recommend regularly consuming healthy leafy greens, showing up faithfully to appointments for management of chronic health conditions, maintaining a healthy and ideal weight, and quitting smoking. While seemingly simple, these habits, when performed religiously, ups your chances of maintaining clear, healthy vision as you age.

[b]Wear protective eyewear.[/b]
Health authorities have long emphasized the dangers and risks of long-term sun exposure and the damage it does to the eyes. The NEI strongly advises the public to use protective eyewear, such as UV-protection sunglasses, where needed.

These circumstances include, but are not limited to, playing outdoors, hitting the beach, working in front of a computer, and, especially, performing occupational tasks (e.g., welding). Make sure your eyewear offers protection from both UVA and UVB rays.

[b]Get a comprehensive dilated eye exam.[/b]
In accordance with the NEI’s emphasis on prevention and early detection, the agency also urges the public to regularly avail of a comprehensive dilated eye exam. This method is, so far, the most accurate in catching the signs of a developing eye disease.

Most vision-related diseases present no warning signs. When signs and symptoms do appear, often treatment is too late or presents little to no relief. According to the NEI, it’s best to consult with your ophthalmologist regarding the frequency or schedule of your said exam.

[b]Read up on your family history.[/b]
Genetics play a role in the likelihood of your acquiring (or not) an eye disease. Thus, the NEI recommends talking to your family members to learn if any of them has been diagnosed with any eye-related disease.

This is because there are some vision-related conditions, such as glaucoma, that are hereditary. Awareness of one’s risk is, in itself, a form of prevention, which is what the NEI and GRF are after.

The NEI “offers a variety of resources” to “promote the importance of eye health.” These resources, which can be found on their website, are made up of videos, social media content, and more.