What Are Some of the Biggest Eye Health Risk Factors?

Making sure that you keep your eyes healthy as you grow older is one of the most important goals to have. After all, life without a clear vision is a lot more difficult. Vision impairments tend to hinder people from experiencing their highest quality of life, which is why visiting your eye doctor on a consistent basis is a great way to avoid issues. Preventative care can go a long way towards preventing more serious eye health issues from occurring. It always helps to learn a little bit more about the biggest eye health risk factors, which is why we’ve created the following article to help you gain additional clarity. Remember that you can always reach out to Antelope Valley Eye Care if you are in need of a checkup or have questions for our expert eye doctors.

1. Family History

One of the biggest eye health risk factors has to do with your family and what issues they might have experienced with their eyes. For example, conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and astigmatism are often known to be hereditary conditions. That means that if your family members had these issues, then you have a greater chance of getting them too. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you will deal with these types of eye health issues, but it helps to be aware that your risk factor is higher if your family members have them.

2. Diabetes

We all know just how much of a toll a condition like Diabetes takes on our health. The worst thing about Diabetes is that it can affect a lot of different facets of your health, which includes your eye health. If you have high blood sugar, your lens can swell and lead to distorted vision. Diabetes can also affect your eye health with diabetic retinopathy, which is essentially retina damage caused by high blood sugar. Make sure you are heading to the eye doctor regularly if you are diabetic.

3. Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption can negatively affect your health in a lot of different ways. What many people don’t realize is that chronic alcohol drinkers can be at higher risk for eye health disorders. It’s best to refrain from heavy alcohol consumption not just for your eye health, but for your overall well-being.

4. Excessive Sunlight Exposure

Protecting yourself from the sun’s UV rays is absolutely crucial if you want to protect your eye health in the long term. Failure to do so can lead you to deal with “free radicals” in your eyes that can cause issues with your retina and lens. Make sure you use UV protective lenses if you are outside for extended periods of time and limit your exposure to the sun when you can. If you think you might be dealing with eye health issues related to the sun, reach out to Antelope Valley Eye Care today.

We hope this article has been informative and helpful. Remember to visit your eye doctor at regular intervals to avoid letting your eye health take a turn for the worse.