You might think your vision is fine or that your eyes are healthy, but visiting an eye-care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to be sure. When it comes to common vision problems, some people don’t realize they could see better with glasses or contact lenses. Many common eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration often have no warning signs. A dilated eye exam helps detect these diseases in their early stages.

Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease since many are hereditary. This will help to determine if you are at higher risk for developing an eye disease.

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens is important for keeping your eyes healthy. Research has also shown there are eye health benefits from eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut.

Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions. This in turn leads to diabetic eye disease or glaucoma, which when left unattended leads to loss of vision.

When playing sports or doing activities around the home. Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards specially designed to provide the correct protection for a certain activity. Most protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is 10 times stronger than other plastics.

Sunglasses are a great fashion accessory, but their most important job is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When purchasing sunglasses, look for ones that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.

If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing on any one thing, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This helps reduce eyestrain.

To avoid the risk of infection, always wash your hands thoroughly before putting in or taking out your contact lenses. Make sure to disinfect contact lenses as instructed and replace them.