Why Good Vision and Healthy Eyes Are Essential for Maintaining Cognitive Function
Your eyes and vision play an important role in your cognitive health. When you can see clearly, you can enjoy activities that stimulate your brain. Practicing mental fitness keeps your brain healthy, especially as you age.
This can include learning something new, actively seeking a social life, mindfulness meditation, and more. However, using a cognitive training app, learning a language, practicing an instrument, or connecting with others can be challenging when your vision issues aren’t addressed. Your eyes can create barriers to boosting your brain health. Caring for your eyes can do wonders for promoting cognitive function and overall well-being. Here’s how you can maintain good vision and healthy eyes for your brain health:
Have your eyes checked regularly
Many people underestimate the importance of eye exams and don’t have them done as often as they should. Eye exams help detect eye conditions and keep track of vision changes, allowing you to get the right guidance and treatments to keep your eyes healthy. With regular visits, you can spot symptoms, take preventive measures to lower your risk of disease, or update your prescription to ensure clear sight. Eye exams can also reveal a lot about your brain health. An eye doctor might be able to spot brain tumors, increased pressure in the brain, damage to the optic nerve, and more.
Poor vision is also linked to dementia and is an indicator of cognitive decline. Eye exams are crucial to keeping your brain healthy and functioning well. As an adult, you should get an eye exam at least every two years or more frequently if you’re part of a high-risk demographic for eye conditions, such as women, racial and ethnic minorities, older adults, and a family history of eye issues.
Wear the proper eyewear
You may not think you need glasses or contact lenses for your vision, but you might be surprised at the difference they make for clear and safe sight. Eyewear is the simplest solution to correcting and protecting your vision and eyes. Glasses are the most common choice since they’re easy to wear and come in diverse styles and shapes. Reading glasses are also ideal for presbyopia, helping you focus on close-up objects, especially at an older age. Contact lenses are another popular choice since they’re invisible to others and don’t obstruct vision. Modern contact lenses have become much more comfortable and hygienic thanks to hydration technologies and high-quality materials.
Contacts Direct offers contacts like the Dailies AquaComfort Plus, which features blink-activated moisture technology, and Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism for wearers with astigmatism that require a differently shaped lens than usual. Sunglasses like those from Ray-Ban are also key for protecting the eyes from UV rays, which can cause eye conditions like macular degeneration or cataracts. A pair with 100% UVA and UVB protection can protect your vision outdoors. Wearing the right eyewear according to your needs and preferences ensures you can see clearly while doing your daily activities that stimulate your brain.
Live a healthy lifestyle
A balanced diet, sufficient hydration, regular exercise, and more all contribute to healthy eyes and a healthy brain. A healthy lifestyle helps keep eye conditions at bay and allows your brain to function at its best. Consuming nutritious food rich in vitamins A and C and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin boosts eye health by promoting hydration and cell function and also contributes to brain health.
Regular exercise is known to help with memory, cognitive function, and mood, but it also ensures your eyes get sufficient nutrients and oxygen through blood flow. With healthy habits, you also lower your risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, which can contribute to vision loss and cognitive decline. A healthy lifestyle does more than keep you fit; it ensures your eyes are functioning at their best, so your brain is in the best shape as well.
For all things brain health and wellness, visit the CogniFit Blog to know more.
