Eye Care – ways to preserve your vision

Eat your carrots, wear a sun hat and sunglasses! Try Lutein and Zinc? What about bilberry? Eye health is vital and World Retina Week taking place this month, it makes for a good time to talk about preserving those peepers.

In addition to having regular eye exams, changing some habits and improving your diet can enhance the chance of maintaining good eye sight well into advanced age. These eye wellness tips will help you do just that.

Pass don’t puff. Cigarettes narrow away at blood vessels all over your body, including your eyes. This increases the risk of macular degeneration and serious optic nerve damage.

Splurge on the shades. A good pair of sunnies can protect your eyes from the harsh ultraviolet rays of the sun. Don’t be fooled by cloudy days - UV rays penetrate clouds and by having a good pair or sunglasses can block 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVS.

Get moving. Exercise on a regular basis won’t only keep you fit but also ward off cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, 2 factors that cause chronic eye disease.

Eat for your eyes. Being overweight or obese can increase inflammation and elevate the risk of high blood pressure, arterial disease and diabetes - all enemies of the eye. Indulge in some green leafy veggies like spinach and kale. Tuna, eggs nuts and beans are all foods that could help keep preserve your eyes.

Easy on the eye drops. That little bottle may be useful in hiding this weekend’s overindulgence, but eye drops that relieve redness work by cutting off blood circulation flow to the eyes. Using these for long periods can lead to damaged corneas.

Rest your eyes. Staring at a computer screen all day can put a lot of strain on your eyes. Every now and then take a visual break and focus on something else. You can do this by taking your eyes off the computer screen and look at something else for a minute.

Pass it on: Eating healthy, exercising regularly, no smoking and wearing sunglasses regularly can help you to preserve your vision and ward off eye disease.

"Of all the senses, sight must be the most delightful.” – Helen Keller