Today, people are living longer than ever before so it’s important to be proactive and take responsibility for your health as you age.
Like any other organ in your body, your eyes do not stay the same as you get older. Vision changes are normal with age but vision loss and blindness are not. Older adults are at higher risk for certain eye diseases and conditions, including age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, dry eye, and low vision. To continue to enjoy healthy vision as you advance in years, it’s important to have a comprehensive dilated eye examination with an ophthalmologist or optometrist on a regular basis.
Here are some other tips to maintain healthy vision now and as you age:
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Fruits and vegetables can help keep your eyes healthy. Visit our website for healthy eye recipes, click here Eye Cook.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk for diabetes. By exercising regularly, you can help keep your body healthy and prevent vision loss.
Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk for age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and other eye diseases and conditions that can damage the optic nerve.
Wear protective eyewear when outdoors. Protecting your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays when you are outdoors is vital for your eye health. Wearing sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
Know your family history. Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease or condition since many are hereditary, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetes . This will help determine if you are at higher risk for developing an eye disease or condition.
Consider a multivitamin. Vitamins C, E and the mineral zinc have been shown to promote eye health. Vitamins with Lutein and Zeaxanthin have been known to help patients with moderate to severe age-related macular degeneration.
Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing at any one distance, you sometimes forget to blink, resulting in dryness and eye fatigue. Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This can help reduce eyestrain. Consider using a lubricant eye drop during long periods of intense eye use and rest your eyes for 5 minutes.
You can’t stop time, but you can take care of your eyes so that they remain healthy as you age. Having a healthy vision can be possible at any age!