Is Squinting Bad for Your Eyes?

To squint or not to squint

While there’s nothing intrinsically harmful about squinting, other than adding unwelcome wrinkles around your eyes, it may signal a need for corrective lenses. If you have difficulty reading street signs or cell phones, Dr. Patel and our providers evaluate your vision with several simple diagnostic tests, including:

• Visual acuity to determine your vision at 20 feet
• Central and peripheral visual fields
• Intraocular test to gauge the fluid pressure within your eyes
• Depth perception
• Color perception

We diagnose any refractive issues, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and offer the perfect prescription for 20/20 vision. If your squinting gets worse in the sun, we also help you find sunglasses to fit the bill.

Read the signs

Rest assured, squinting won’t make your vision worse. In fact, in the short term, it actually helps you see better. By decreasing how much light enters your eye, squinting enables more light to pass closer to the center of your vision. Images become better focused. If you find yourself squinting in order to read, you might suffer from a refractive error. Dr. Patel and our team diagnose any refractive issues to enable your eyes to bend light correctly, without squinting, through glasses or contact lenses.

Improve your eyesight without squinting

Dr. Patel also recommends healthy ways to improve your eyesight. These include:

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables

Have you ever seen a rabbit wear eyeglasses? We’re only half joking. Carrots contain plenty of lutein and beta-carotene, which our body converts into vitamin A, an important nutrient for healthy eyes. Other helpful foods include sweet potatoes, red peppers, spinach, and citrus fruits. Consume leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli and zucchini, as well, which possess lutein and zeaxanthin, protective carotenoids found in your retina.

2. Exercise regularly

One of the most important things we can do is move our bodies. Exercise helps offset such conditions as diabetic retinopathy, which causes tiny arteries in your retina to leak blood and fluid into your eyes. Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising helps reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes in the first place.

3. Shield your eyes

Wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat protects your eyes from harmful UVA and UVB radiation from sunlight, keeping damage at bay.

In addition, Dr. Patel and our providers encourage you to practice the 20-20-20 rule. Look away from your computer screen every 20 minutes toward something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds to reduce eyestrain.

Improve your health with regular check-ups

Even if you simply squint on occasion, it’s a good idea to get regular eye exams to maintain good eye health and keep any problems from escalating. If it’s time for your yearly exam or you have any concerns about your vision, contact our knowledgeable team at Classic Vision Care. Call us or book an appointment online today.