A look at your overall health
1-minute read
You have your annual physicals. You see your dentist regularly. You think you’ve got this healthcare thing down. But is seeing your eye doctor on that list?
Clear vision isn’t the only benefit of getting an annual eye exam. Through an eye exam, your eye doctor can identify early warning signs and manifestations of many systemic and chronic diseases, including:
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis, lupus, Sjögren's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis
- Lyme disease
- Brain tumor
- Blood, tissue or skin cancers
While you’re thinking about your overall health and working on an annual wellness to-do list, you can keep yourself on the right track by incorporating the following simple habits into your lifestyle:
- Eat a healthy diet, with leafy greens like spinach and kale. Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids—like salmon, tuna and halibut—is good for your eyes, too.
- Wear sunglasses that block out harmful UV-A and UV-B radiation from the sun.
- Quit smoking. Smoking raises your risk of diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts—and it can harm the optic nerve.
- Get active. Being physically active helps lower your risk of health conditions that can cause eye health or vision problems—like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule if you spend a lot of time focusing on a screen—every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.
Ready to take care of your vision (and beyond)? Start by scheduling your eye exam. State of Texas VisionSM members are eligible for an eye exam each plan year! Get started on the State of Texas Vision website.