A guide to maintaining your 6/6 vision

Sight is one of the senses we rely on most in daily life, and the best way to keep your eyes working well throughout your life is to take care of them. 6/6 vision (often written "6 by 6") is normal, sharp distance vision: you can read at 6 metres what a person with normal eyesight reads at 6 metres. A healthy lifestyle and a few specific precautions help protect it.

In general, the best way to keep 6/6 vision in the long run is to adopt healthy habits and a good eye care routine: eat a balanced diet, stop smoking, exercise regularly and eat more fruit and green vegetables, especially leafy greens. These are rich in antioxidants, which help prevent the damage that ageing does to the body.

1. Eat right

What we eat has a significant effect on the health of our eyes, so a healthy diet protects both your body and your eyes. To get the vitamins and minerals you need each day, include these foods:

• wholesome fruit and vegetables
• leafy green vegetables, such as spinach
• berries, especially those with deep red and blue colours
• citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit, and guavas
• dry fruits, nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, flaxseed and almonds
• protein-rich foods such as dal (lentils), especially soya, milk and dairy products, and beans

Read more in our guide to nutrition and diet for healthy eyes.

2. Visit your eye doctor regularly

Everyone, from young children to people aged 80 and over, should have regular eye examinations. Adults with no symptoms or risk factors for eye disease should have a baseline eye screening at 40, or earlier if they notice early signs or changes in their vision. Based on that first screening, your eye care professional will advise how often you need follow-up examinations.

Anyone with symptoms, or with diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of eye disease, should ask an eye specialist how often to have their eyes examined. An eye examination confirms that your vision is clear and healthy and that your prescription for glasses or contact lenses is still correct.

A thorough eye examination may include:

• a discussion of your medical history and your family's
• vision tests for short-sightedness (myopia), long-sightedness (hypermetropia), astigmatism (an unevenly curved cornea that blurs vision) and presbyopia (age-related difficulty with near vision)
• tests of how well your eyes work together
• eye pressure and optic nerve tests to detect early signs of glaucoma
• microscopic and external examination of the eyes, before and after the pupils are dilated

These tests show whether you have an eye disease or are at risk of one. This is especially useful for conditions like glaucoma, which cause no symptoms until much later. Eye disease can begin early in life, and catching problems before they cause damage helps you keep your vision. See what a comprehensive eye examination includes.

3. Wear sunglasses

If you must be outdoors during the day, wear sunglasses that fully block the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Make sure they block both UV-A and UV-B.

4. Protect your eyes from injury

• Wear safety goggles or protective glasses when you work with airborne particles or hazardous materials at work or at home.
• Protect your eyes properly around fireworks or anything that could cause a fire.
• Wear suitable eye protection for home repairs, gardening and cleaning.
• Wear eye protection for sports such as baseball and hockey, which can injure the eyes. Sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses, or helmets with face guards, protect your vision. Read more about eye protection for sports.

5. Look after your glasses

Cleaning your glasses every day is the best defence against scratches and other damage. Protecting the lens coatings keeps your lenses working well, lasting longer and looking good, whether they are single-vision or bifocal.

Don't clean your glasses with cloth, paper towels, napkins, tissues or toilet paper, especially when the lenses are dry. Some people use saliva to wet and clean their lenses, but this is not a proper method. Individually packed, pre-moistened lens-cleaning wipes, made especially for spectacle lenses, are a better choice.

6. Follow the 20-20-20 rule

If close work or long hours at a computer screen strain your eyes, follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look away at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.