Caring For Your Eyes

Make sure to have comprehensive eye exams and vision screenings; don’t wait until you are having problems.

Keeping yourself healthy and active involves a proactive lifestyle. Eating healthy food and taking simple, common-sense precautions may improve your muscles, joints, brain and even your eyes. Eating well will also help you maintain a healthy weight, which lowers your odds for obesity and type-2 diabetes, the leading cause of blindness in adults.

Healthy Diet for Healthy Eyes

Get the nutrients you need to keep your entire body healthy. A healthy diet includes eating a combination of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Dietary Sources of Vitamins

The following is a list of food sources containing various supplements and vitamins that may promote healthy eyes.

• Lutein Zeaxanthin:
  • Asparagus
  • Corn
  • Egg yolks
  • Kale
  • Peas
  • Pumpkin
  • Spinach
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
  • Chia Seeds and Flaxseed
  • Mackerel
  • Sardines
  • Soybeans
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
• Vitamin A:
  • Butternut squash
  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrots
  • Red and yellow bell peppers
  • Sweet potatoes
• Vitamin C:
  • All citrus fruits
  • Bell peppers
  • Broccoli
  • Mango
  • Strawberries
• Vitamin E:
  • Avocado
  • Nuts such as almonds, peanuts, and hazelnuts
  • Seeds such as sunflower seeds
  • Vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower, corn, and soybean
• Zinc and copper oxide:
  • Beef, pork, and chicken
  • Beans and legumes such as black beans and lentils
  • Cooked oysters
  • Pumpkin, squash, and sunflower seeds

Note: This information is provided for your interest. It does not represent medical advice, nor should it be a substitute for the advice given to you by your doctor. The material included in this article is not necessarily supported by scientific evidence. This article does not necessarily represent the medical views or opinions of the owners or doctors of this website. Discuss any changes in your diet with your doctor before proceeding.

To avoid corneal infections, contact lens wearers should wash their hands before handling contacts. Make sure to disinfect your lenses as recommended.

Take a break every 20 minutes from prolonged reading or your laptop and other electronic devices. Look away, relax, and blink to moisten your eyes. When we stare, we blink less often, increasing the sensation of fatigue.

Smoking makes you more likely to get cataracts and macular degeneration and can damage your optic nerve.

Wear sunglasses not just on sunny days, but on cloudy ones too. High-quality sunglasses will provide your eyes with the best protection from the sun’s UV rays, which can cause cataracts, eye cancer, and damage to the retina that can accelerate and worsen macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss as people age. 

Wear protective goggles, safety glasses, or helmets with face masks when using hazardous tools or materials at work or home. Many sports can cause eye injuries, including ice hockey, racquetball, lacrosse and baseball, to name a few. Paintball injuries can cause traumatic cataracts, detached retinas, bleeding inside the eye, glaucoma, orbital (eye socket) fractures, and ruptures of the eyeball.

Experts say more than 90 percent of eye injuries can be prevented by taking a few precautions and wearing safety glasses or protective goggles. Be especially careful when using the following:

• Battery acid
• Champagne corks
• Eyelash curlers, mascara brushes and other cosmetic applicators
• Fingernails (such as when applying and removing contact lenses)
• Fireworks and firecrackers
• Household cleaning solvents
• Laser pointers, which can cause temporary vision loss and even permanent damage to the retina
• Lawnmower
• Power tools
• Toys and games with hard or sharp edges