With age, the eyes undergo changes that cause deterioration in vision, such as presbyopia, or diseases such as glaucoma and cataracts. Know daily habits that you can take to take care of your vision and prevent further deterioration.
As people age, vision deteriorates and eyes are more vulnerable to diseases such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Also, with age, it is common for presbyopia or blurred vision to occur.
The presbyopia is because after age 40 the lens of the eye becomes stiffer. So since the lens can’t change shape as easily as before, activities like reading or seeing things at close range is more difficult.
If you notice that your vision is deteriorating, consult with a specialist to assess your situation and indicate the treatment or prescription you need.
Habits to improve vision
In the following lines, we will recommend measures that can complement the doctor’s instructions to prevent possible deterioration and some tips to keep your vision healthy. Always remember that these do not replace the treatment indicated by the professional.
Take care of your blood pressure
Keep blood pressure low, since high levels can damage blood vessels, which can be a contributing factor to lower vision health, according to scientific studies.
To control blood pressure, eliminate foods high in salt and sugar, processed, fried and rich in fat. It is also advisable to do physical exercise.
Eyecare
Regarding measures that are specifically aimed at eye care, avoid exposing them to sunlight; the experts recommend to wear sunglasses when you go out during the day.
Diet to maintain vision
As we mentioned previously, you should never make changes in diet or eye care without medical endorsement. After medical consultation, we could resort to these foods to complement the treatment indicated by the professional, since they have beneficial properties for eye health:
Vitamin C
Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and combined with other nutrients, could help delay age-related macular degeneration, according to scientific studies. However, this does not imply, according to that source, that it reduces the risk of suffering the famous waterfalls.
Carrots
Due to its content of beta – carotene, the carrot is a food that can contribute to eye health. In fact, beta-carotene is one of the nutrients cited in the research cited in the previous point.
Spinach
This green leafy vegetable can be very beneficial to improve your vision since it contains lutein, which has many benefits for this body function. You can eat it raw in a salad or steam it.
Cabbage
Eat cabbage leaves, especially if you don’t like spinach, as it contains even more lutein than spinach, according to the Medline article cited above. You can enhance the effectiveness by adding a little chopped red onion that contains the antioxidant quercetin.
Omega-3 fatty acids
A research conducted on patients suffering syndrome dry eye caused by excessive use of processing devices (computers) states that oral supplementation with omega 3 is effective in alleviating their symptoms.
Likewise, another study concluded that including omega 3 fatty acids in the diet can contribute to maintaining healthy eyes in healthy people.
Omega 3 can be found in blue fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, or mackerel. Omega 3 also contains egg yolk and linseed, canola, walnut and wheat germ oils. Another option is vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, sprouts and Brussels sprouts, among others.
Sugar-free chocolates
Enjoy chocolate occasionally, because it contains flavonoids, which help keep blood vessels in good condition, according to this scientific study. Choose sugar-free chocolate, which has 60% to 70% cocoa content.
Blueberries
You can keep your eyes healthy with cranberry supplements, which contain anthocyanins. It is an antioxidant that, like vitamins, C and E, zinc and beta-carotenes are positive to help treat certain eye conditions, according to a scientific study. However, on the same source, it is substantiated that its efficacy for the prevention of these conditions is not proven.
In short, the most important thing is to go to the doctor to do regular eye exams, receive treatment if necessary and prevent more serious problems. As we mentioned, never resort to natural remedies without medical recommendation and remember that these cannot be the exclusive route of treatment.