Eye Health Basics

Taking great care of your eyes

Whether you clock long hours in front of a screen or you prefer exploring the outdoors until sundown, keeping your eyes healthy can help keep you happy.

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See your eye care professional yearly

Eye exams are about more than vision. In fact, an eye exam can detect over 270 different medical conditions from diabetes to heart disease.

Learn how to manage screen time

Life demands more of our eyes than ever, leading some to develop what is called Computer Vision Syndrome, also known as digital eye strain.
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Protect your eyes from the sun

Eyes are vulnerable to UV rays just like your skin. That's why knowing ways to protect them, like with sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, and UV blocking# in your contacts lenses, is so important.

Eat eye-healthy foods

Certain foods can support your eye health now and even prevent vision damage later in life, reducing your risk of serious chronic eye conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration .

Certain foods can support your eye health now and even help prevent vision damage later in life, reducing your risk of serious chronic eye conditions like cataracts or macular degeneration. Include foods with these key vitamins and nutrients in your diet:

Lutein & Zeaxanthin

These nutrients may reduce the risk of eye diseases like cataracts and can be found in kale, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, raspberries, papaya, peaches and mangoes.

Vitamin C

This vitamin may lower your risk of developing cataracts, and when taken with other nutrients, it may slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration and visual acuity loss. Vitamin C can be found in oranges, grapefruits, kiwi, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and red and green peppers.

Vitamin E

This vitamin helps protect your eyes and can be found in almonds, sunflower seeds, vegetable oils, avocadoes, wheat germ, and sweet potatoes.

Essential fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids help with visual development and retinal function, and can help reduce inflammation and enhance tear production. Sources of essential fatty acids include fish such as salmon and tuna.

Zinc

Beans and lentils, seeds, meat/seafood, dairy, and eggs are all sources of zinc, which helps bring vitamin A to the retina to help produce a protective pigment in the eyes.

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Parents: Help your child meet the demands of school

With more and more learning going digital, students are swamped with screen time. Learn how this could impact their eyes and tips to help keep their eyes healthy.
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Doing eye-intensive tasks at work?

Video conferencing, emails, spreadsheets—as work has become more digital, it's especially important to take care of your eyes.

What should I learn next?

Now that you know the basics of how to help keep your eyes healthy, it can be helpful to be proactive and learn not only about the anatomy of the eye itself, but also vision issues and eye conditions to look out for over your lifetime.

The anatomy of the eye

Your eyes are made up of many intricate parts that each play an important role in helping you see.

Sclera illustration

Sclera

The protective outer coating of the eyeball, also known as the white of the eye.

Cornea illustration

Cornea

The clear, dome-shaped part of the eye in front of the pupil, responsible for focusing light.

Illustration showing where the conjunctiva is on the human eye

Conjunctiva

The delicate membrane that covers and protects the surface of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid.

Illustration of an eye showing where the iris is

Iris

Gives the eye its color and expands or contracts the pupil to manage incoming light.

Illustration of the eye showing where the pupil is

Pupil

The small, black spot in the centre of the iris, which allows light to enter the eye.

Illustration of the eye showing where the lens is

Lens

The flexible tissue behind the iris and pupil that focuses light on the retina.

Illustration of an eye that points out where the retina is

Retina

The layer of tissue at the back of the eye that reacts to light and sends messages to the brain through the optic nerve.

Illustration of an eye that points out where the macula is

Macula

A small area at the centre of the retina densely packed with the majority of our eye's cone cells. The cones enable our colour vision and their arrangement in the macula enables our fine central acuity.

Illustration of the human eye that shows where the Aqueous Humour & Vitreous Humour are

Aqueous Humour & Vitreous Humour

The fluids inside the eyeball that help give them shape.

Images are for illustrative purposes only and may not be anatomically accurate.

What else can affect my eyes?

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Vision issues explained

Are distant objects blurry? Having trouble reading? Learn about the issues that affect your vision and how you can correct them.
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Common eye conditions

From "pink eye" to glaucoma, it's important to know the basics of eye health conditions so that you know when to see an eye care professional.

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Footnotes

#Helps protect against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea & into the eye.
WARNING: UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV-absorbing eyewear as directed. NOTE: Long-term exposure to UV radiation is one of the risk factors associated with cataracts. Exposure is based on a number of factors such as environmental conditions (altitude, geography, cloud cover) and personal factors (extent and nature of outdoor activities). UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. However, clinical studies have not been done to demonstrate that wearing UV-blocking contact lenses reduces the risk of developing cataracts or other eye disorders. Consult your eye care professional for more information.

*Free trial contact lenses available only from participating eye care professionals. Exam and fitting fees not included.

Important information for contact lens wearers: ACUVUE® Contact Lenses are available by prescription only for vision correction. An eye care professional will determine whether contact lenses are right for you. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. To help avoid these problems, follow the wear and replacement schedule and the lens care instructions provided by your eye care professional. Do not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection, or experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems. If one of these conditions occurs, remove the lens and contact your eye care professional immediately. For more information on proper wear, care and safety, talk to your eye care professional and ask for a Patient Instruction Guide, call 1-800-267-5098, or download the Patient Instruction Guides.

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