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 help detect over a hundred different medical conditions from diabetes to heart disease.

Find an Eye Care Professional

Learn how to manage screen time

Life demands a lot from our eyes, leading some to develop what is called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), also known as Digital Eye Strain (DES) caused by sitting in front of a computer screen for long periods of time.

Protect your eyes from the sun

Eyes are just as vulnerable to UV rays as your skin. That's why knowing ways to protect them, like with UV blocking^# in your contact lenses, is so important.

Eat eye-healthy foods⁺

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.

Parents Toolkit

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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.

Working Professional Tips

What should I learn next?

Now that you know the basics of how to 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 receive light and transmit detailed messages to your brain, which interprets them as images. Each part of your eye has a different specialised role in transmitting these images.

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

Cornea

At the front is the cornea, a transparent window which allows light to travel into your eye.

Sclera

The sclera is the tough, protective ‘white of your eye’, which is opaque.

Conjunctiva

Around the cornea, a thin, clear membrane called the conjunctiva helps to protect the rest of the front of your eye and the inside of your eyelids.

Iris

Gives eyes their colour and is expanded or contracted with tiny muscles to manage incoming light through the pupil.

Pupil

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

Lens

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

Aqueous Humor & Vitreous Humor

The cavity between your lens and cornea contains a liquid called Aqueous Humour.

A jelly-like substance, called Vitreous Humour, fills the cavity behind your lens.

The Aqueous and Vitreous Humours help to give your eyes their shape.

Retina

Your retina’s job is to capture light information that the main nerve in your eye (your optic nerve) sends as nerve impulses to your brain. Your brain then translates these messages into images. On your retina, two types of light-sensitive cells – rods and cones – capture light rays. Rods help you to see in dim light, whilst cones enable you to see detail and colour.

Macula

The area in the center of retina, made up of several tiny cells to help the lens focus light. Helps with tasks requiring precision.

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.

See Vision Issues

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Common eye conditions

From irritating "pink eye" to glaucoma, it's important to recognize eye health conditions so you know when to seek advise from an Eye Care Professional.

See Eye Conditions

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Footnotes

* Please note professional eye examination and fitting fees may apply. GCC residents 18 or over only. One trial per person. Eligibility subject to Eye Care Professional approval. Participating Eye Care Professionals only. See link for full terms and conditions.

+ Diet and Nutrition - American Optometric Association

# All ACUVUE^® contact lenses have UV Blocking to help provide protection against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye. 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 by your Eye Care Professional.

For more information on proper wear, care and safety, talk to your Eye Care Professional and read the Instructions for Use.

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