The Basics of Eye Health

As long as they seem to be working well enough, we tend to ignore our eyes. They are commonly not a part of our regular health maintenance routine. That is a mistake. Macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts impair or even destroy the vision of millions of Americans every year. As with most health issues, prevention and early detection of any problems is best.

Here are some of the common sense things we can and should be doing to protect our vision well into our senior years.

Get Your Eyes Checked. Have a dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist once you reach age 40. Have one at least every 2 years after age 65. If you are diabetic, have one done yearly. Otherwise its not a bad idea to have one done every time you replace your glasses.

Stop Smoking. As if there were not already enough other reasons not to smoke, doing so raises your risk of age-related macular degeneration and optic nerve damage.

Watch Blood Sugar, Cholesterol and Blood pressure. Again, there are so many reason why this is important that you should already be doing it anyway. But higher than healthy numbers can also harm your eyes. High sugar levels and blood pressure can damage the tiny blood vessels in your eyes, leading to retinopathy and, potentially, to blindness. Keeping these indicators under control will also reduce your risk of developing diabetes, which raises your risk not only for retinopathy but also diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma.

Wear Sunglasses. Glasses that block both UVA and UVB rays are best. UV light can have harmful effects on the eyelid, cornea, lens and retina. Wearing a wide brimmed hat when in the sun is not a bad idea either.

Eat a Healthy Diet. Preferably one on the Mediterranean Diet model that is rich in fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains and fish. Limit red meat and replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats like olive oil.

Ignore Supplement Claims. Supplements that claim to "support" or "promote" eye health have little or no evidence behind them. Nor is there any legal or regulatory definition of "support" or "promote". They mean whatever the supplement manufacturer decides they mean. Save your money.

For more information about taking care of your eyes, visit www.nei.nih.gov .