How to keep your eyes healthy.

Everyday we are bombarded by campaigns and advertisements on how to look after ourselves, and stay fit and healthy. So we all know what to do to keep the ticker going, and about low density lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins, and which one is the 'bad' one and what will stop our arteries from becoming 'furry', but how many of us know how to keep our eyes healthy?

We asked Corrina, our resident Optometrists at our Gloucester Road practice, to provide some advice as to what we can all do to keep our eyes healthy.

1 - Diet

We do tend to forget that our eyes are attached to our body so naturally of course they can be affected by diet. The best foods for your eyes are dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach, these are high in two nutrients called Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which when in your body are found only at your macula. This is the very central area of your retina and so the area which provides your most detailed vision. People with higher levels of these pigments are found to be less likely to develop Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

AMD is a progressive condition that typically affects older populations leading to a gradual loss of their central vision, in turn making certain tasks such as reading and driving more difficult. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the Western World.

The biggest risk factor is age, and as we have unfortunately yet to find a cure, we need to look at other factors which can reduce our chances of developing AMD. Certain medications may not allow people to eat green vegetables but you can get these pigments in other foods that are primarily yellow in colour such as egg yolks, corn and yellow peppers.

Still on diet, fatty acids are also essential for eye health, particularly Omega 3 and 6. We know that docosahexaeanoic acid (DHA) also known as Omega 3 is essential for healthy brains, nervous system and developing infants. Your photoreceptors (light sensitive cells) are packed with DHA as it is important for their function and survival. Fatty acids are believed to reduce the risk of AMD progression and not only is DHA important for your retina but also for your tear film.

2 – Lifestyle

There are also lifestyle changes which can keep your eyes healthy. One such thing is smoking. Everyone knows the general health risks with smoking such as breathing problems, cancer and a shorter life expectancy and if that isn’t enough to put you off, smoking can also plays its part in causing blindness. Smokers are twice as likely to develop AMD than non-smokers and also more likely to develop cataracts sooner.

Many people everyday work in an office based environment where there seems to be a constant stream of air conditioning or heating or they are sat at a desk looking at a screen for long periods. Many of these people can have symptoms of dry, red or sore eyes. This is usually indicative of evaporative dry eye which is where the oily part of our tears is insufficient and so leads to tear evaporation. Keeping hydrated and having a diet containing Fatty acids can help to reduce these symptoms. If you are looking at a screen most of the day, then make sure that you are taking breaks regularly, our blink rate drops significantly when we are staring at screens, so it is important to take a 20 second break, every 20 minutes or so.
Sometimes that just isn't enough which is why we run a dry eye clinic, especially designed to get to the root of the problem.

3 - UV Protection

UV protection is important for our eyes. We all know to slap on the sun cream to protect our skin but it is always surprising how few people know that UV exposure can also affect our eyes. UV exposure accelerates progression of AMD and cataracts as well as cosmetic changes to the anterior (front) surface of your eyes. It is essential to wear UV protection in the form of sun spectacles when it is sunny outside, it needs to offer you 100% UV protection. This is extremely important for children's eyes as well as they can receive up to 80% of their recommended life time UV exposure before the age of 18.

There is also another type of UV light which falls at the blue/violet end of the light spectrum. This type of light is actually emitted from screens such as computers, tablets and smart phones, something you most likely use every day. Accumulative effects of this type of UV are believed to accelerate the onset of AMD. Nowadays there is no escaping these devices, so to protect your eyes you can have a coating placed on spectacle lenses which will filter out this range of light. When you are next in just ask us about Crizal Prevencia.

4 - Regular Checks

Having regular eye examinations can also keep your eyes healthy. Many people assume that eye examinations are only for people who wear spectacles, this is untrue. Whilst during an eye examination at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists we do assess vision and examine the need for spectacles we will also check the health of your eyes and give you advice on what to do to look after them. Many eye conditions such as glaucoma are asymptomatic in its early stages and it is important to check for these conditions as the aim of the game is to detect before there is a problem.

So how many of these things do you do? There are plenty of ways to keep your eyes as healthy as possible and reduce your chances of developing an array of eye problems. In a nutshell, have a healthy balanced diet, plenty of greens and yellows with some oily fish too. Wear UV protection, don't smoke and come in and see us at least every 2 years, we don’t bite!


Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks blog from all at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.

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