Aging and certain lifestyle choices can affect your vision, especially if you’re in your 50’s and up. While it’s normal for your eyes and vision to change, there are certain actions you can take to protect your sight.
6 Tips for 50+ Eye Health
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Eat Well
A well-balanced diet helps maintain a healthy body including healthy eyes, and reduces your odds of developing some very serious eye diseases. Nutrients and nutritious foods, which help prevent vision loss include:
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- Vitamin A: Carrots, spinach, kale, egg yolks, dairy products
- Vitamin C: Citrus fruits and juices, broccoli, potatoes, green peppers
- Vitamin E: Whole grains, eggs, sunflower seeds, vegetable oils
- Fatty Acids: Coldwater fish, such as mackerel, rainbow trout and salmon; corn oil, sunflower oil
- Lutein: Kale, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, corn
- Zinc: Poultry, meat, fish, dairy products, whole grains
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Quit Smoking
Smoking can significantly increase the chances of developing age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, as well as diabetic retinopathy in diabetics. So if you're a smoker, the sooner you quit, the better.
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Exercise
Exercising for at least 20 minutes a day is great for your whole body, including your eyes, by increasing blood flow to the optic nerve and retina! It isn’t necessary to engage in strenuous exercise—in fact, a brisk walk will suffice.
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Protect Your Eyes
Sunglasses
Protecting your eyes from ultraviolet rays with UV-blocking sunglasses can slow down the development of cataracts, prevent sun damage to your retina, and lower the risk of skin cancer near your eyes.
Protective eyewear
Another way to protect your eyes is to wear protective eyewear. If you play sports or work with materials such as wood, glass or metal, protective eyewear can shield your eyes from splinters and shards, as well as fast-moving objects like balls and hockey pucks.
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Give Your Eyes a Rest
If you spend a lot of time reading, driving or looking at digital devices, you may develop eye strain and eye fatigue. By implementing the 20-20-20 rule, especially during prolonged computer or smartphone use, you can give your eyes some much-needed rest. All you need to do is this: every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
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Have Regular Eye Exams
And finally, a comprehensive eye exam is crucial, as it can detect eye conditions that don’t display any symptoms until vision loss has already occurred.
These conditions include:
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- Age-Related Macular Degeneration
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic Retinopathy
When detected early, treatment can often prevent permanent vision loss or even blindness. Less serious and more common, presbyopia or age-related farsightedness, develops with age, and simply updating your prescription for glasses or contact lenses at your routine eye checkup can keep you enjoying the arm's-length activities you love.
Age-related vision changes can be challenging, both emotionally and physically. However, some of these can be mitigated by implementing the tips above. Schedule an eye exam with Giddens Optometry in Georgetown to check your eye health today!
Q&A
How does aging affect your eyes?
Aging causes changes in every part of your body, including your eyes. As you age, the lens inside your eye begins to harden, which leads to presbyopia (age-related farsightedness). This makes it more difficult for your eyes to focus on near objects and tasks like reading. Other common age-related eye problems include:
- Age-Related Macular Degeneration
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Dry Eyes
- Floaters
- Changes to Peripheral Vision
Can I do anything about my chances of vision loss?
It is estimated that half of all visual impairment and blindness can be prevented through early diagnosis and treatment. So make sure you get regular eye exams to ensure that all is in check.