The Eyes Have It: Three Great Lifestyle Choices to Protect Your Vision

Marcia Appleton, LicSW, Community Services for the Blind and Partially Sighted

Good-quality sunglasses and a wide-brimmed sunhat protect our vision when we're in the sun. Read on for more ways to promote vision health as we grow older!

Eye health and the prevention of eye disease are receiving more attention as baby boomers are getting older. One of the biggest risk factors for eye disease is aging:

• By the time we reach age 75, more than 50% of all Americans develop cataracts, more than 10% have macular degeneration, and about 6% have serious vision problems related to glaucoma.
  
  
• Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in adults over 50, affecting as many as 10 million Americans. According to the former director of the National Eye Institute, those numbers will grow to epidemic proportions as boomers age.

While you can't control getting older, one of the most important things you can do is have a regular eye examination. This will help catch diseases early when they are easier to treat. People between the ages of 35-50 should have an eye exam every few years; those over 60 should go in every year.

Most of us grew up with do's and don'ts for taking care of our eyes—don't read in the dark, don't sit too close to the TV, and eat your carrots. Not all those admonishments turned out to be true; for example, though we need light for visual efficiency, we now know that we won't go blind by reading in a dark space or staring into the TV. 

Today, we have a new set of do's and don'ts to help prevent eye disease...and, yes, eating carrots is still one of the do's!

Number 1: No Smoking! If you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, work hard to stop now. Smoking is a risk factor for developing both cataracts and macular degeneration. Secondhand smoke is equally damaging to the eye. Anyone with a diagnosed eye disease or eye disease in the family should avoid smoking and smokers.

Number 2: Avoid Direct Sunlight. While those of us here in the Pacific Northwest need 15 minutes of sun daily for Vitamin D and brain health, we also need to protect our eyes from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) and blue light. UV light has been shown to cause reactions that produce free radicals, atoms or groups of atoms which can damage the eye. We are exposed to much more UV light than our ancestors were. 

People with light colored eyes—blue, green, grey—are at a higher risk than those with dark brown eyes. Melanin, the substance in the eye which gives color, also helps to protect the macula by capturing the free radicals and removing them before they can do damage to the macula of the eye.

Always protect your eyes when outdoors. A hat with a brim, such as a garden hat or golf visor, will provide some protection. The best protection, however, is to wear sunglasses that block the UV and blue light. The most protective will have side shields and a top shield, and can be worn over your prescription lenses, if needed.

Number 3: Choose Good Nutrition. Nutrition is gaining more attention as an important contributor to eye health. Here are some important nutritional choices to make: 

• Avoid junk food. Many packaged foods, particularly those we think of as "junk food," include partially hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenated oils extend shelf life and keep products such as margarine and shortening in a solid state, regardless of the room temperature. Unfortunately, our bodies are unable to process these oils, and as they accumulate in our body, they damage healthy tissues. Instead of "junk oils," look for olive and canola oils. Fish and flaxseed oils are also good choices, as they include omega-6 fatty acids.
  
  
• Eat your vegetables. According to a mid-1990s study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a daily serving of dark leafy green vegetables slowed down the progression of macular degeneration for hundreds of study participants. The dark leafy greens include kale, collard greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard and spinach.
  
  
• Choose nutrient-dense foods. Think color—the deeper, the better. Sweet potatoes, yams, and squash will yield more nutrition than a white potato. Deep colored berries, such as blueberries, blackberries and huckleberries, are good choices and are easily added to your diet. Just sprinkle some on your morning cereal, or on yogurt or ice cream, and you are good to go.
  
  
• "The Big Seven." Lylas Mogk, MD, in her book, Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing your Sight, identifies seven nutrients that have an important role in maintaining eye health:
  
  • Beta-carotene: look for red peppers, carrots, avocadoes, sweet potatoes, squash, apricots, cantaloupe, mango and papaya, and the dark green leafy vegetables.
  • Lutein: look for kale, collard greens, mustard greens, spinach, swiss chard and romaine lettuce.
  • Vitamin C: look for red peppers, broccoli, turnips, citrus fruits, berries, and again those dark green leafy vegetables.
  • Vitamin E:  look for seeds, nuts and whole grains
  • Selenium: look for wheat germ, oats, fish, egg yolks, garlic and swiss chard.
  • Zinc: look for oysters and fish, pumpkin seeds, ginger root, pecan and Brazil nuts.
  • Copper: look for nuts: Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts and pecans.

A quick review shows common risk factors for both cataract development and macular degeneration: A history of smoking Unprotected exposure to UV light A diet high in consumption of red meat and processed foods, with few fresh fruits and vegetables.

If changing your eating habits is not possible, consider supplements.  Research indicates that supplementing with nutrients from the "Big Seven" may slow the progression of some eye diseases. Check with your physician and pharmacist before beginning or adding any supplement to your diet.   

The good news is that there is something we can do, through nutrition and life style choices, to impact positively our chances of healthy eyes as we age.

One last piece of advice: the Internet is a great source of information, but it is also home to unscrupulous people ready to take advantage of others who are desperate to save their vision. If and when there are breakthroughs in research or product development, your eye doctor and your local vision rehabilitation agency will know about it. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Marcia Appleton, LicSW, is a social worker with over 30 years of experience working in the field of vision loss and aging. Community Services for the Blind is a private, non profit agency, leading the Northwest in vision rehabilitation, working with individuals and families as a team to address the special needs of each client to foster and increase well being and independence. Community Services for the Blind is active throughout King, Snohomish and Skagit counties. Contact Marcia at Mappleton@CSBPS.com or (206) 525-5556.