Eye Health
Keep an eye on your eye health. Caring for your eye health is much the same as caring for your overall health.
Take care of your eye health in three easy steps:
1. Check your diet. How bright is your diet? Fruits and vegetables that are brightly colored contain the highest amounts of antioxidant vitamins. Antioxidants help prevent damage to your body from free radicals, byproducts of your body’s oxygen use which cause chemical oxidation to your body.
In looking for food for eye health, look for foods containing Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium, lutein and zeaxanthin, the antioxidant vitamins. The top 10 antioxidant foods are berries, broccoli, soy, purple grapes, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, tea, whole grains and carrots.
Make sure your diet contains at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and 6-11 servings of grains per day, with at least 3 being whole grains. Choosing foods high in antioxidants will give you the best foods for healthy eyes.
2. Guard the sun. Too much direct sunlight is not healthy for your eyes in several ways. Very intense exposure to ultraviolet rays can inflame the whites of your eyes. More intense light is seen when sunlight reflects off water, sand or snow (“snow blindness”).
Staring directly at the sun can cause problems as well. This can happen when you are watching a solar eclipse without proper protection. Looking directly at the sun may damage or destroy cells in your eyes and cause immediate, usually permanent, vision loss. Too much exposure to sunlight on a regular basis also leads to developing cataracts earlier than someone who hasn’t had as much sunlight exposure. Plus, a degenerative visual condition called macular degeneration is also associated with long-term exposure to sunlight.
3. Visit your eye doctor. The best way to take care of your eye health is regular visits to your eye doctor. Your eye doctor will prescribe glasses or contacts or recommend surgery to give you better vision.
Plus, your eye doctor will diagnose any eye disease or condition, such as glaucoma, and provide treatment or referrals to specialists, if needed. Your eye doctor is also able to notice markers in your eyes for other conditions, such as diabetes or neurological disorders. Schedule a visit to your eye doctor to take care of your eye health, not just to obtain a new prescription for glasses or contacts. Your eye doctor is your partner for better eye health.