August is National Cataract Awareness Month and National Children's Eye Health and Safety Month, so Whole Health is focusing on eye health this month.
Parents often tell their children that if they eat their carrots they will have good vision. And, they are right; diet and lifestyle have a tremendous impact eye health and vision. Carotenoids (which are plentiful in carrots) have long been associated with healthy vision. New studies are finding other antioxidants in fruits and vegetables are just as important.
But it's not just fruits and vegetables; recent studies have associated diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids with improved eye health. Also studies have found that carbohydrates with a high glycemic index can be damaging to eye health.
And let's not forget lifestyle. Smoking is one of the worst things for eye health.
So with these things in mind we've created a list of tips that can be easily integrated into most lifestyles, as a way of protecting your vision.
- Have your eyes checked regularly. Schedule an eye exam every year, even if you think there is nothing wrong with your eyes. Early detection is the best way to slow or stop the progression of many eye diseases.
- Use safety goggles any time you are doing work with even the slightest chance of particulate matter getting in your eyes.
- Wear good sunglasses. Protect your eyes from the damage of ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun with a pair of high-quality sunglasses that protect your eyes from both UVA and UVB light.
- Don't smoke, and avoid secondhand smoke.
- Eat a diet that is high in fruits, berries, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids; avoid saturated fats. Blueberries and bilberries are especially rich in antioxidants that are beneficial to the eyes.
- Watch your weight and sugar intake to avoid diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading causes of adult blindness in the US.
- Consider taking eye support supplements such as beta carotene, lutein, zinc and vitamins C and E, all of which can be found in Optim-Eyes High-Potency Vision Support Formula.
Give these tips a try, and you might just find that your eyes aren't the only things that benefit.
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