As anyone who uses computer all day long has, or probably will have, some kind of problem with his/hers eyesight. Being in a profession that demands constant reading and writing, this problem is not to be ignored.
So, acknowledging that degradation of vision is something that comes with age, what can we do to prevent blindness (total or partial) in the later years of our life.
There are some good practices that can be followed in order to diminish (or even suppress) the degradation of eyesight overtime.
Note to attention: Eyesight problems are often genetic (as said here!), and about this there's nothing you can do. Medicine is probably the best way to deal with them...
Back to the good practices:
Feed your Eyes
Don't forget to include Vitamin A in your diet. This vitamin is found specially in carrots and fish (you also find it in a lot of other foods, but in lower quantities). Deficit of Vitamin A, means impaired vision and night blindness!
Get them Wet
A dry eye, means there's no (or not enough) tears. This can lead to red eyes (irritation), blurred vision, severe discomfort or even infection. People with contact lens suffer a lot with this. Fortunately there are drops you can use to help with this situation. If the situation is chronic medical examination is necessary.
Sleep Well
As any organ of human body eyes need to rest. So sleep! Preferably with your eyes shut...
This were some general advises, but there are some more specific to who has to deal with computers all day long.
Keep the distance
Getting a balance between the distance from the monitor and the size of the fonts in the screen can be a hard trick to pull. You shouldn't have to do any effort to read letters on the screen, adjust both your distance and the monitor's brightness (you're not looking to the sun!) to facilitate reading.
Light it Up
Don't go dark! Always have good illumination when using a computer, natural light is preferable. During night use a desk lamp (that's what I do) or some kind of back light. Avoid light reflection on the monitor, any glare or seeing the light source.
Approach Angle
Try to have the monitor in the same level of your eyes, if that by all means impossible choose a lower angle. This way you avoid not only a stiff neck but also looking in a more natural angle.
Get Up and Away
Don't over use your computer. Many of us spend most time of the day staring at some monitor/tv, so get every and all excuses to get away from it. Go fish...
Don't Stare
When we hit the "zone" it's easy to stare at the monitor minute after minute with don't even blink, so look away, close your eyes, do what ever you want... just don't stare to the monitor all day long!
Get Protection
Monitor filter's are old fashion, new monitors already bring built-in technology that allows a wide number of configuration (brightness, contrast, etc...), so use them...
Secondly get your eye exam once a year to check if everything is OK!
This is nothing you shouldn't know by know, but its a good reminder ;)