BY CHERYL M. LUIS
THE EYES are the windows to the soul. The most important part of our body. People rely on their eyes to see and make sense of the world around them. A vital part of work and our daily activities.
But some eye diseases can lead to vision loss, so it is important to identify and treat eye diseases as early as possible. Get your eyes checked as often if you have vision problems. Also, it’s important to keep your body healthy.
Here are some practical eye care tips to keep you seeing the world and make your eyes healthy.
Balance diet
Eat a healthy and balanced diet like fruits and vegetables, especially deep yellow and green leafy vegetables. Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut can also help your eyes.
Maintain healthy weight
Being overweight or having obesity increases your risk of developing diabetes. Having diabetes puts you on getting glaucoma.
Regular exercise
Being energetic and getting regular exercise helps control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These diseases can lead to some eye or vision problems. So, if you exercise regularly, you can lower your risk of getting these eye and vision problems.
Wear eye protection
Wear sunglasses. Sun exposure can damage your eyes and raise your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Protect your eyes by using sunglasses that block out 99 to 100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
If you are into sports or jobs that require eye protection, make sure to wear also protective eyeglasses to prevent eye injuries.
Avoid smoking
Smoking increases the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve.
Know family history
Some eye diseases are inherited, so it is important to find out whether anyone in your family has had them. This can help you determine if you are at a higher risk of developing an eye disease.
When you get older, a higher risk of developing age-related eye diseases and conditions. It is important to know some risk factors so you will be able to determine the cause.
If you think, your eyesight is not normal, get it checked immediately. Make sure to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam also to be sure. Comprehensive dilated eye exams are especially important because some eye diseases may not have warning signs. The exams are the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages when they are easier to treat.
Always love your eyes. Without it, your life will not be as colorful as it used to be.
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Cheryl M. Luis is the wife of George N. True II. Like her husband, she advocates health and lifestyle writing and vows to continue “Health Frontiers” as her husband’s legacy./PN
