Many women are responsible for their family’s health and wellness but often neglect their own. This definitely includes eye health and safety.
The Women’s Eye Health Organization provides the following statistics to help understand why this needs to change:
- Women account for 2/3 of blindness and visual impairment.
- About 3/4 of visual impairment is preventable.
- The top risk factors for poor eye health are obesity, smoking, age, and poor nutrition.
- The 4 leading eye diseases are age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.
One reason women account for more blindness and visual impairment than men is that women generally live longer than men. Still, it’s also because women often give less priority to their health than their loved ones.
Women’s Eye Health & Safety Month aims to get women, at least for a little while, to focus on themselves, which will help them better take care of their families.
General Eye Health Tips for Women
While the same tips for good eye health apply equally to everyone, let’s consider them with a focus on women’s eye health.
Get regular eye exams: Women over 40 should have an eye exam at least every two years. Not only will doing so prevent eye disease progression, but it can also reveal health problems in other areas.
Consider hormones: Changing hormones can affect eye health and cause problems like dry eyes and light sensitivity, in addition to the other symptoms that come with the different seasons of a woman’s life.
Know your history: Knowing your family history proves helpful for many reasons. This is definitely true concerning eye health since many eye diseases are hereditary.
Avoid smoking: An estimated 1/3 of age-related macular degeneration cases and cataracts are due to smoking, not to mention the whole host of other illnesses related to regular cigarette smoke exposure.
Aim for a healthy lifestyle: While this proves difficult for busy women, taking small steps toward a healthier lifestyle can make a massive difference over time in general health, wellness, and eye health.
Use cosmetics safely: This involves discarding old cosmetics, not sharing them, and not applying them while doing other activities (like driving).
Wear sunglasses: Wearing sunglasses with UV protection can slow the development of cataracts and protect against other types of sun damage (photokeratitis, or sunburned eyes, for example).
Consider safety glasses: Experts say that 90% of eye injuries occur at home and are preventable by wearing safety glasses. Unfortunately, many women protect their family’s eyes but often forget to protect their own.
Many of these tips involve simple common sense and prioritizing eye health for every family member. And while sunglasses remain just a fashion statement for many women, an increase in style and other options in recent years makes wearing quality eyewear that’s right for the individual and the situation more accessible and less costly.
Women’s Safety Glasses & Sunglasses
For years, most safety glasses and sunglasses styles target men’s physical features. Not anymore. More and more brands are offering glasses to suit the generally smaller faces of women with feminine styling that makes a positive fashion statement.
Consider the following Women’s Safety Glasses with options that provide both sun protection and impact protection and are also made especially for women’s size, fit, and fashion needs.
MCR Safety BearKat Small features a reduced frame size to accommodate smaller face profiles. Also available in pink frames and multiple lens colors.
Edge Mazeno Slim modern square frame sunglasses with petite frame size. Available in clear and smoke gray lens colors.
Bolle Rush Plus Small has a slimmer fit than the standard Rush Plus and is ideal for smaller or narrower facial profiles. Available in multiple frame colors, including pink.
Radians Optima has an ultra-lightweight frameless design with a soft gel nose bridge. Available in multiple frame and lens colors.
In addition to these styles made specifically for women, many manufacturers are joining the fight against breast cancer by donating a percentage of the purchase of special glasses to breast cancer research and awareness. These include the following:
- Bouton Eva Women’s Safety Glasses ALL with breast cancer awareness ribbon
Women’s Eye Health & Safety Month presents an excellent opportunity for women who care so diligently for the health and wellness of others to take some time to pay specific attention to their own eye health and safety. Start by assessing current approaches using the general eye health points above, then find sunglasses specifically designed to meet the eye needs of women. Finally, use this focus as a starting point for a year-round approach to eye health.
