Men!  We know many of you like to take the "she'll be right" approach to healthcare, and it seems that eye health is no exception!  We're here to gently remind you that proactive care for your eyes is so important for all men (not just those that need glasses), and it should be something you factor into your busy schedules.

Thanks to our head office team for these tips around eye health for men (and they apply to women too)!

Men are increasing less likely to attend to their eye health than women, according to the latest Medicare Report on the use of optometry services by age from 2013 to 2020.

In 2020, 42.27% of men used an optometry service compared to 57.73% of women. This is a figure that has been steadily dropping each year for the past ten.

It shows that men are continuing to neglect their eye health to the detriment of their overall wellbeing. They blame work or their busy schedule for not looking after their eye health.

As men’s eyes age, it is important that they are encouraged to look after them.

Eye health tips

As we get older, our eyes, like the rest of our body, ages, but there are things we can do to maintain good vision and healthy eyes.

1. Ageing eye

We need to be mindful of the implications of our ageing eye.

When we move into our 40s, we have problems focusing on things up close and develop presbyopia. If dimming or clouding of vision occurs cataracts may be an issue. These are things your optometrist can help you with.

2. Food for eye health

Aside from wearing sunglasses, or safety glasses, to protect your eyes, men can look after their eye health by eating healthy – fish, nuts, wholegrain, leafy green vegetables, berries, and citrus fruits – foods pumped with vitamins A and C and omega-3 fatty acids are great foods for eyesight improvement.

3. Work the 20-20-20 rule for eyes

If you are spending hours on end looking at the computer screen, give your eyes a break by applying the 20-20-20 rule, simply look 20 feet in the distance every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.

4. Do not smoke

We know from the general health messages that smoking is bad for us in general. We know it causes heart disease and lung cancer. What you may not know is that studies highlight that smoking is a major contributing factor to the early onset of age-related macular degeneration.

Smoking also ages us quickly particularly around the eyes. Nicotine causes the blood vessels in the upper layer of your skin to narrow, resulting in a disrupted flow of blood, increasing wrinkles and dark circles around the eyes.

5. Stop eye rubbing

When our eyes itch our natural tendency is to rub our eyes, but rubbing your eyes is bad for your eyesight.

We would not rub our eyes up against a keyboard but that is basically what we are doing when we touch our eyes without washing our hands. Our unwashed hands carry hundreds of thousands of tiny bacteria.

When your eyes get itchy or you have something stuck in them, clean your hands for at least 20 seconds, using soap and clean water and dry them with a clean towel, then, wash your eyes out with sterile saline or a lubricant eye drop.

Artificial tears can help stop the itch that makes you want to rub your eyes and will keep them hydrated.

So men!  If you're ready to book your appointment, jump online and lock in a time.