Our eyes are one of our biggest assets although many of us may take our vision for granted. We may be concerned about our weight and overall good health – yet we don’t give much thought to the health of our eyes. There are several steps we can take to improve and maintain healthy vision.
Health always starts from the inside out with proper diet and nutrition. Special nutrients such as Omega-3, zinc, selenium, lutein, anti-oxidants and vitamins C and E have been proven to help ward off or at least slow down age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Some of the foods providing these all-important nutrients include green and leafy vegetables like lettuce, kale, broccoli, spinach and collard greens, fish with Omega-3 oils such as tuna and salmon, citrus fruits and juices as well as protein sources of nuts, eggs and beans. Other foods to include in a healthy diet are red, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupe, bok choy, sweet potatoes, papaya and mangoes. Let’s also remember the importance of carrots, loaded with beta-carotene. Eating these healthy foods is not only a prescription for healthy vision but also promotes healthy weight, which lowers your risk of Diabetes. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness.
It cannot be stressed enough the damage that smoking does for the lungs and heart. Truth of the matter is that it is also linked to macular degeneration, cataracts and optic nerve deterioration. People who have tried to quit smoking countless times can be successful.
Protect the eyes from the rays of the sun since too much ultra-violet rays can contribute to cataracts and other eye degenerative diseases. If you wear contacts, there are options to get contact lenses with the UV protection in them. As far as protection for the eyes, always use protective glasses when working with anything hazardous – anything that can fly into the eyes and cause injury.
Continual working on a computer can cause a lot of eye strain, blurry vision, headaches, strain on the shoulders and back and possible double vision. You need to rest your eyes every once in a while, looking away from the computer. Be sure you are wearing the right glasses or contact lenses for good eye health as well. The wrong prescription can indeed contribute to ill eye health. Be sure you have good lighting as well.
Regular visits with the eye doctor are important for the entire family. How often you go depends greatly on family history. If most of the family does or has worn glasses or contact lenses their entire lives, chances are strong that you will need to have your eyes examined on a regular basis in order to know how healthy your vision is. As adults age and mature, they are more at risk for certain eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration. There are no symptoms or warning signs for these diseases, so it is difficult to know if a person has it without a medical examination.
The doctor will question all aspects of family health and history as well as check you for near or far-sightedness. There are many various tests such as a comprehensive dilated eye exam that the doctor will put you through to check for illnesses as well as the progression of the eyesight. With this exam, the doctor will place drops into your eyes to dilate them, allowing the doctor to exam the back of the eyes for any diseases or damage. Everyone wishes to have 20/20 vision and many people are lucky their entire lives – others may need help through corrective lenses or contacts as they age. Depending on heredity, a vast majority of people need glasses as a youngster.
Visit the eye doctor regularly, yearly if you are under a doctor’s care or have a family history of eye care, or at least every two to three years to check for any changes in your vision. Caring for and maintaining healthy vision is worth seeing the world around us in a clear view and it is just a matter of good nutrition, diet, healthy habits and regular doctor visits.
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