Thursday, March 27, 2014

Eye health tips for over-60s

How to keep your eyes healthy

As well as having regular eye tests and wearing the correct glasses, you can do several things to keep your eyes as healthy as possible:
  • Eat well – eating a healthy, balanced diet is important for your eyes. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruit will benefit your overall health and may help protect against some conditions such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD, see below).
  • Wear sunglasses – strong sunlight can damage your eyes and may increase your risk of cataracts. Wear sunglasses or contact lenses with a built-in UV filter to protect your eyes from harmful rays.
  • Quit smoking – smoking can increase your chances of developing conditions such as cataracts and AMD.
  • Stay a healthy weight – being overweight increases your risk of diabetes, which can lead to sight loss.
  • Use good lighting – to see well, your eyes need three times as much light when you're 60 as they did when you were 20. Increase the daylight in your home by keeping windows clean and curtains pulled back. Make sure you have good electric lighting too, especially at the top and bottom of stairs so you can see the steps clearly. For reading or close work, use a direct light from a flexible table lamp, positioned so the light is not reflected by the page and causing glare.
  • Exercise – good circulation and oxygen intake are important for our eye health. Both of these are stimulated by regular exercise.
  • Sleep well – as you sleep, your eyes are continuously lubricated and irritants, such as dust or smoke, that may have accumulated during the day are cleared out.
 

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