March is healthy vision month. An eye exam where your eyes are dilated is a painless procedure and one of the best things you can do to make sure that you are seeing the best that you can, and your eyes are healthy. There are millions of people who have problems with their vision every year. Some of these problems can cause permanent vision loss and even blindness, while others are common problems that can be easily corrected with glasses or contacts. When the eyes get dilated it is a great way for the eye doctors to examine your eyes for diseases and other vision problems which have no early warning signs.

There are common vision problems and those are best known as; nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. The length of the eyeball (either short or long), changes in the shape of the cornea, or aging of the lens can cause refractive errors. Most people have one or more of these conditions. With the common vision problems also known as: refractive errors this affects adults over the age of 35, but it can affect both adults and children. There are some signs and symptoms that are related to refractive errors such as:

• Blurred vision
• Double vision
• Haziness
• Glare or halos around bright lights
• Squinting
• Headaches
• Eye strain

The best way to correct these errors is with eyeglasses, surgery or contact lenses. There are other ways to help your eyes.

1. Get your eyes checked: even though there might not be discomfort or pain in your eyes, or you might not see a change that does not mean that your eyes are not in trouble. You want to make sure to get an exam because it can catch diseases or conditions early. You do not want permanent damage and or vision loss, so catch it while it is early.
2. Eat vision enhancing foods: you want to try to eat foods packed with beneficial nutrients. The types of foods are: spinach, citrus fruits, melons, broccoli, salmon, carrots and more.
3. Give the screens a rest: screens meaning computer or smart phone screens. This can cause digital eye strain and can have dire consequences on our eyes. The screens use artificial light so our eyes just are not used to that yet. When you stare at the screens for long periods of time you can get a headache and even eye strain.
4. Wear the right eye protection: whether you garden, play sports or just go outside a lot you need to make sure you are protecting your eyes properly. This would include sunglasses or eye goggles. Remember you cannot rub sunscreen into your eyes so you save yourself from eyeball sunburn.

Please be sure to take care of your eyes – you only get 1 set. Some eye problems will have a simple fix, others not so much.