Everyone’s Talking About Wellness for Your Gut, Skin and Mind – but What About Your Eyes?

In the Tiktok era, wellness is ballooning into an all-encompassing pursuit. Between IV infusions and “fibremaxxing”, infrared saunas and ice baths, it feels like we’re putting more time (and money) into our health and beauty routines than ever before. But new research by Specsavers suggests that many of us are neglecting something fundamental to our day-to-day wellbeing: our eye health.

A national Specsavers survey of over 1000 people aged from 35 to 50 found that more than half are having difficulties seeing clearly. At the same time, 40 per cent had not had an eye test in years – or in some cases, ever – and as many as 72 per cent had never even heard of the probable cause: presbyopia.

Presbyopia is a perfectly normal age‑related condition, where the eyes gradually lose their ability to focus on close objects as the lens becomes less flexible. It’s common to start experiencing symptoms in your forties, and they’re usually easy to manage with corrective glasses or contact lenses – but, according to the research, most people are prone to putting it off.

“We ask a lot from our eyes, and presbyopia is a normal process that occurs over time,” Specsavers optometrist Stephanie Doan says. “But it often flies under the radar because people adopt short-term workarounds that mask the issue.

“While those tricks can help for a while, they become less effective over time – and without treatment, the condition can worsen and seriously impact quality of life.”

If you’ve noticed yourself resizing the text on your device, using your phone torch to read the menu in a mood-lit restaurant or holding material further away to read it, you might be in need of a trip to the optometrist.

Doan recommends eye examinations at least every two years from when you turn 18, or sooner if changes in vision present earlier. She says eye checks are imperative for good overall wellness, and full examination at Specsavers is the perfect way to kickstart the process. The test includes an advanced 3D scan of the back of the eye, which is key to helping optometrists detect eye conditions. Best of all, it’s bulk-billed for anyone with a valid Medicare card, meaning no out-of-pocket expenses.

Between appointments, though, there are ways to incorporate eye health into your daily wellness routine, starting with your diet. Certain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants can help sharpen your vision and promote long-term eye health. Look for foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (fish, nuts and seeds); zinc (legumes, lean meat); lutein and zeaxanthin (leafy greens, broccoli, eggs); and vitamins A, C and E (citrus fruits, tomatoes, sweet potato – and, yes, carrots). Keeping hydrated will also help maintain the eye’s moisture levels, reducing dryness and irritation. Make sure your sunglasses offer 100 per cent UV protection to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays. And reduce eye strain from screens and other digital devices by following the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet (around six metres) away.

But regular examinations are key. Eye tests will not only help when vision gets blurry or squinting becomes a bit too much, but they can also detect serious health conditions – including eye conditions like cataracts and glaucoma, or underlying issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure – before symptoms even appear.

So before you make your next booking at the local hyperbaric oxygen chamber, be sure that you’ve got the basics covered. A simple trip to the optometrist could help solve some day-to-day frustration and discomfort, and take your wellbeing to a whole different level.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Specsavers. Book an appointment online via specsavers.com.au.