There are so many health observances in March. You have National Nutrition Month, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and National Kidney Month—just to name a few. However, the health observance our team at AFC Urgent Care South Charlotte wants to talk about is “Save Your Vision Month.”

Did you know that around 800,000 eye injuries occur each year? And 90% of those eye injuries that occur are completely preventable. As a result, we want to take a look at ways you can protect your eyesight, as well as protect an eye injury from happening.

What Steps Can I Take to Improve My Eyesight?

Some of the most common eye diseases among Americans include conjunctivitis, cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Fortunately, by taking steps to promote eye health, you can prevent many of these eye diseases from occurring during your lifetime.

Start by making sure you are following a healthy, balanced diet that is rich in antioxidants and vitamin A, which are both important for your eyes, on a daily basis. In addition, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly can also improve your eye health as much as it can your overall health.

Foods High in Vitamin A

• Cod liver oil
• Eggs
• Fortified breakfast cereals
• Fortified skim milk
• Orange and yellow vegetables and fruits
• Beta-carotene sources like broccoli, spinach and most dark green, leafy vegetables

What Are the Main Causes of Eye Injuries?

There are many reasons why you might experience an eye injury. For one, you might have scratched your eye when rubbing it and/or have gotten an eyelash or other particle in your eye.

Or you can have eye swelling due to an injury that occurred while playing a sport this spring—such as a baseball to an eye or coming in contact with another player. The most important thing you can do to protect your eyes from injury is to ensure you’re wearing protective eyewear when at work, at play and at home, when needed.

Additional Ways to Protect Eyes

• Know your risk for eye diseases.
• Undergo regular physical exams to check for diabetes and high blood pressure.
• Look for warning signs of changes in your vision.
• Exercise frequently.
• Protect your eyes from harmful UV light.
• Get regular eye exams.
• Avoid smoking.

Do you have a recent eye injury? Visit AFC Urgent Care South Charlotte today for medical care. No appointment is necessary!