According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, many sight-threatening diseases, if detected early, can be cured or treated to prevent, or slow, the progression of any vision loss.
The most important preventive step is receiving routine examinations by a qualified eye care professional. Children should receive their first comprehensive eye examination before the age of three, unless a specific condition or history of family childhood vision problems warrants an earlier examination. Persons ages 20 to 40 should have an eye exam every five years, unless visual changes, pain, flashes of light, new floaters, injury, or tearing occurs. Then, immediate care is necessary. Persons without risk factors or symptoms should have a baseline eye exam at age 40. Persons 40 to 64 years old should have an eye exam every two to four years, and persons age 65 and over every one to two years. Persons with diabetes are at risk for several eye disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts, and should have eye examinations every year. African-Americans are at greater risk for glaucoma, and should have eye examinations every three to five years before the age of 40, and every two years after age 40.
Too much staring at your computer monitor can strain your eyes. Be sure to move about and shift your gaze after every 50 minutes in front of your computer. Not only will this improve your body's circulation it will also give time for your eyes to be at ease.
When a person puts contact lenses in, they're essentially creating a barrier between their eyes and the outside world. This barrier affects the cornea which is the outer portion of the eyes and covers the iris and the pupil. If contacts are worn too long a person could develop corneal hypoxia, which is caused by deprivation of oxygen to the cornea. This condition leads to changes in the corneal metabolism and epitheleum, which can lead to build-ups in the cornea, which can lead to corneal ulcers and other harmful conditions.
Contact lenses are not like clothes or a tea bag, they are a medical product which through use, wears down over time. The edges of overused contact lenses become ragged which can lead to cuts in the surface of the eye.