How often do you think about eye health?
Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease and the leading cause of age-related vision loss, affecting more than 10 million Americans. The good news, it can be avoided or delayed with a few precautionary measures.
A healthy diet is one way to help offset eye disease. There are certain nutrients found in food that can help protect our vision and slow its progression. Vitamin A and carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids are nutrients that support eye health in a variety of ways.
Where can you find good sources of these nutrients?
- Vitamin A- Leafy greens, orange and yellow fruits/vegetables (such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, peppers), herring, and other fortified foods (such as milk and breakfast cereal).
- Lutein and zeaxanthin- these phytochemicals are carotenoids but are not converted to Vitamin A, unlike beta-carotene, but can reduce your risk for macular degeneration. Egg yolks and corn have very high levels of both lutein and zeaxanthin. Other good sources include kiwi, grapes, spinach, orange juice and zucchini.
- Omega 3's- these fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, and sardines. Other good sources include oysters, eggs, nuts/seeds and some fortified foods like yogurt and milk.
Office workers often get too much screen time as it can be hard to pull away from the desk on a productive day.
Here are 5 tips to help prevent computer vision syndrome:
- Take breaks from your computer screen often
- Blink frequently and use a humidifier if the room is dry
- Dim monitor lighting during early morning and evening hours
- Consider investing in some "computer glasses"
- Follow the 20-20-20 Rule--
- Every 20 minutes
- Look at something 20 feet away
- For 20 seconds
May is Healthy Vision Month so it's the perfect time to set some healthy vision goals whether its incorporating more foods from the lists above or limiting your screen time each day.