3 Strategies for Healthy Eyes

It can be a little harder to see how your overall lifestyle affects eye health. The eyes are one of those things people tend to separate from overall health—like they exist independently and are cut off from the rest of you. To maintain eye health, changing this focus is essential.

There are three main strategies that can help keep vision healthy well into the future. To reduce the risk of vision loss and maintain sight, there are three things to do.

1. Eat Colorful Fruit and Vegetables:

Colorful fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals that promote eye health and prevent macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is one of the main causes of vision loss for older Americans and is caused by the degradation of the macula. The macula is the area of the eye responsible for controlling central vision.
Colorful fruits and vegetables provide vitamin A, C, E, and zinc, which contain powerful antioxidants to prevent macular degeneration. Foods to feature in your diet include:

• Carrots
• Sweet potato
• Red pepper
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Citrus fruits
• Strawberries

2. Exercise Regularly:

You might not believe it, but exercise and weight management can also promote healthy eyes. Obese and overweight individuals are at high risk for type-2 diabetes, which can lead to a condition called diabetic retinopathy. This condition causes small arteries in the retina—the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye—to leak blood and fluid into the eye. Diabetic retinopathy leads to vision impairment or worse, and is caused when too much sugar is circulating in the bloodstream. Exercising helps maintain a healthy weight and can improve glucose metabolism so that blood sugar levels are lower.

3. Get Regular Check-Ups:

Visiting an eye doctor for regular check-ups is another way to stay on top of eye health. They can identify potential problems in the early stages and recommend interventions to keep you healthy.