One of the worst things that could happen to you during any kind of activity is that something damages your eyes. Vision is a gift and something that most people are so accustomed to that the very idea of even having reduced vision is terrifying.
The Importance of Keeping Active
This is not to say that you should be tentative about keeping active. Staying physically active is one of the most important and beneficial things you could possibly do for yourself. It has a wide range of benefits for both your physical and mental health and will boost your quality of life.
Physical Health Benefits. Exercise has a variety of obvious physical health benefits such as maintaining a healthy weight, muscle growth, and increased bone strength. However, there are more benefits to regular exercise such as improved cardiovascular health and a reduction in the risks of heart disease, strokes, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Mental Health Benefits. On top of all that, the chemical releases that exercise is responsible for can majorly help with mental health management and can even help to alleviate the symptoms of chronic mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, plus it can help to prevent the development of clinical depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The Dangers to Your Eyes
However, there are some inescapable dangers to your eyes that are posed by the act of exercising. These are mainly physical threats, exercising itself is actually potentially beneficial to your eyesight, but engaging with heavy weights, slamming into your friends in sports, straining to hold position, these could all potentially damage your eyes. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep your eyes safe.
Protecting Your Eyes
When it comes to protecting your eyes from the potential negative effects of exercise, there is no shortage of options available to you.
Wear Sports Contacts. If you are concerned about playing a rough sport and getting hit in the face while wearing your glasses, then why not remove the problem entirely. Sports contacts are a good replacement for your regular glasses and also won’t snap if you get a ball kicked into your face.
Keep Protective Gear On. If you are engaging with a sport that has protective eye gear as part of the package, then you should never, ever, play that game without the protective gear on. It doesn’t matter if it is irritating or disruptive, wearing the gear is always going to be preferable to the alternative.
Be Aware of the Sun. It is not uncommon, during particularly high impact games and exercises, that you might find yourself laid out on your back catching your breath. In this case, do everything you can to not look directly at the sun. The sun is a deadly laser, and it wants to burn your eyes from their sockets, and the only reason it doesn’t is because you don’t stare at it. So, keep avoiding it.
