5 Ways to Improve Your Eye Health

Adhering to some healthy habits when it comes to your eyes could mean staving off such diseases as glaucoma, macular degeneration and vision weakness. All it takes is a few dietary, supplemental and habitual changes to embrace the eyesight longevity you deserve.

Try these 5 ways to improve your eye health and you just may be peering through rose colored glasses well into old age.

Antioxidants

Sometimes cells become exposed to oxygen which can cause them to die or worse yet, turn into free radicals. Free radicals are damaged cells that pair with healthy cells and cause DNA damage. This mutation becomes a breeding ground for disease. Thankfully nature offers antioxidants found in certain foods that can stop this process before it starts.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Research Service,

“About 16 million people in the United States over age 45 report some vision loss. This group may find hope in a growing body of evidence that diet can influence eye health.”

Bio-organic chemist, Allen Taylor, chief of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts has studied the effects of antioxidants on eye health.

The USDA reports Taylor’s work stating that,

“His research suggests that protective, antioxidant-rich nutrition could be the least costly and most practical means to delay cataracts.”

Eat antioxidant rich foods for eye health such as dark green leafy vegetables, beans, berries, apples, potatoes and artichokes.

Wear Sunglasses

If you don’t wear sunglasses on a regular basis you may want to rethink doing so. Sunglasses can block harmful ultraviolet rays that could lead to macular degeneration, a condition that sometimes causes blindness.

Try not to save money here and choose sunglasses with 100% UV protection. Expensive lenses will protect your eyes more efficiently and if you wear a wide-brimmed hat you will also be getting more protection from harmful sun rays.

Eye Foods

There are a variety of foods that enhance eye health and may prevent disease. These include those that contain an abundance of healing and strengthening compounds.

Below are some eye strengthening vitamins, fats, minerals and more along with the foods highest in each:

• Beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin – Corn, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash.

• Vitamins A, C and E – Orange vegetables, broccoli, bell peppers and soybeans (edamame).

• Minerals copper and zinc – Oysters, crab, shrimp, liver, cheese, nuts and legumes (beans).

• Cysteine, lecithin and sulfur – Garlic, onions, shallots and capers.

• Anthocyanin – Eggplant, plums, asparagus, blueberries, cranberries, grapes, cherries, bananas.

• DHA fatty acid – Salmon, sardines, herring, nuts, seeds, whole grains, green vegetables, algae.

Orbital Workouts

Doing eye exercises may sound like nonsense but when you take into consideration the strain you put on your eyes in such a digital dominant society it may be a good idea after all.

Every hour or so stop what you are doing and roll your eyes ten times each way. Also, close them for a few minutes, blink several times and take a walk to change perception.

Go Easy on the Vices

Smoking, drugs, alcohol and poor eating habits can all contribute to weak eye health. Toxins such as these can affect the optic nerve, increase eye pressure and interfere with essential nutrient absorption.

Talk to your doctor about ways to quit smoking, avoid alcohol and/or learn how to choose healthier foods like those mentioned above.

It may not seem like a problem now but when these vices accumulate in the body it can lead to some serious health concerns that include diabetes, macular degeneration and cataracts.

If these 5 ways to improve your eye health are implemented into your life now, you may have a good chance at repairing as well as preventing further damage. They are simple changes that could avoid more serious future fixes such as pharmaceutical drugs, high prescription glasses or even surgery.