For Healthy Eyes, Take the Long View

Renowned retina specialist Stephen H. Sinclair, M.D., has taught eye surgery to ophthalmologists around the globe. But when it comes to keeping eyes healthy, he says, much of the focus is on you.

"It would be difficult to overstate how important it is that patients respect their eyes," says Dr. Sinclair, who practices in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Preventive steps

Luckily, there's a lot you can do to head off eye problems. "If we follow basic rules of health, we can usually avoid long-term disabilities," Dr. Sinclair says. Here are some tips:

• Eat right, stay at a healthy weight, and exercise. Eye doctors recommend a diet that helps control blood pressure and blood sugars and helps maintain a healthy weight. Dr. Sinclair also tells patients to stay fit and avoid the types of fast food that can fuel obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure can cause vision problems.

• Don't smoke. Most ophthalmologists agree smoking is bad for your eyes. Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop cataracts (a clouding of the lens) and macular degeneration.

• If you have diabetes, get an eye exam every year. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is the leading cause of adult blindness. Eye doctors can detect problems and treat them before you notice a change in vision.

• Add kale, spinach, and broccoli to your diet. The antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin in these and other leafy vegetables may help head off macular degeneration, says Maz Kazahaya, M.D., an ophthalmologist in Allentown, Pa.

• Eat more fish and nuts. They may help lower your risk for advanced macular degeneration.

• Wear sunglasses. Look for a pair that blocks ultraviolet A, ultraviolet B, and blue rays.

• Get eye exams as recommended by your eye care provider to detect conditions early.

Don't ignore these problems

See the eye doctor if you have:

• Blurred or double vision

• Pain in your eyes or pressure behind your eyeballs

• Difficulty reading signs and books or the loss of peripheral (side) vision

• Flashes of light or floating debris that blocks your vision

• Wavy lines when you should be seeing straight lines

• Any sudden change in your vision

Source: Ophthalmologist Maz Kazahaya, M.D.