Protecting Your Vision and Eye Health

January 6, 2025

January is National Eye Care Month, and the Fund Office would like to remind you of the importance of protecting your eyes. As carpenters, you may face additional risks that can affect your long- and short-term eye health. By learning more about your eyes and utilizing your NYCDCC Vision Benefits, you and your dependents can increase your likelihood of having healthier eyes, as well as catching potentially harmful diseases in their early stages.

Four Ways to Protect Your Eyes

Every day, you can take simple steps to keep your eyes healthy. Use these tips from the National Eye Institute to protect your eyes from things that can harm them:

Wear protective eyewear. Safety glasses and goggles are designed to protect your eyes during certain activities, like playing sports, doing construction work, or doing home repairs. You can buy them from most eye care providers and some sporting goods stores.

Wear sunglasses. Protect your eyes from the sun by wearing sunglasses— even on cloudy days! Be sure to look for sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation.

Give your eyes a rest. Looking at a computer for a long time can tire out your eyes. Rest your eyes by taking a break every 20 minutes to look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

If you wear contacts, take steps to prevent eye infections. Always wash your hands before you put your contact lenses in or take them out. Be sure to disinfect your contact lenses and replace them regularly.

Overall Health and Your Eyes

Protecting your overall health can go a long way toward keeping your eyes healthy! It’s important to make healthy choices and take good care of yourself. Keep in mind that healthy habits like eating well and being active can lower your risk for diseases and conditions that can lead to eye or vision problems, like diabetes or high blood pressure. Follow these tips for healthy vision:

Eat healthy foods. Be sure to have plenty of dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens. Eating fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids — like salmon, tuna, and halibut — is good for your eyes, too.

Get active. Being physically active helps you stay healthy. It can also lower your risk of health conditions that can cause eye health or vision problems — like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Quit smoking. Smoking isn’t just bad for your lungs — it can hurt your eyes, too! Smoking increases your risk of diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts — and it can harm the optic nerve. If you’re ready to quit, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free support. You can also check out the resources on Smokefree.gov

Eye Exams and Your NYCDCC Vision Benefits

Dilated eye exams are easy, painless, and the most important thing you can do for your eye health. After applying dilating drops, your eye doctor checks your eyes for diseases that may be in their early stages.

As an NYCDCC member, you and your covered dependents are each entitled to an eye examination and new glasses or contact lenses once every 12 months (12 months = 365 days).

To learn more about your Vision Benefits, participating providers, and more, please refer to the “At a Glance: Vision Benefits” flyer below.

For more information from the National Eye Institute, visit their website at https://www.nei.nih.gov/