How to improve Eye Health?

Eyesight is probably the most important of five senses. Maintaining a well-balanced, healthy diet is key to keeping your eyes healthy, and may help reduce your risk for developing eye conditions. Serious eye conditions may be avoided if you include foods that contain a range of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals, known as antioxidants.

Eye health goes hand-in-hand with general health, but a few nutrients are especially important for your eyes. These nutrients help maintain eye function, protect your eyes against harmful light, and reduce the development of age-related degenerative diseases.

Eye Health

The eyes are complex organs. There are many parts that must work together to produce clear vision. The major parts of the eye are listed below. Problems or malfunctions in any part of the eye cause many common eye conditions.

Cornea
The cornea is a layer of clear tissue at the front of the eye that helps focus light.

Tear ducts
The openings to the tear ducts are located in the upper and lower eyelids at the inner corner of each eye. Tears are secreted by the lacrimal gland from the outer, upper eyelid to the surface of the eye. Tears keep the cornea lubricated and clear of debris. The tear ducts drain the tears away.

Iris and pupil
The colored part of the eye is the iris. It is a set of muscles that control the pupil, which is the opening in the middle of the eye. The iris controls the amount of light coming in through the pupil.

Lens and retina
The lens is behind the pupil. It focuses light onto the retina, the light-sensitive cells on the back of the eyeball. The retina converts images into electrical signals that are sent to the optic nerve.

Optic nerve
The optic nerve is a thick bundle of nerve fibers attached to the back of the eye. It transmits visual information from the retina to the brain.

Overview of Eye Diseases

Your risk of developing an eye disease increases as you get older. The most common eye diseases include:

1. Cataracts: A condition in which your eyes become clouded. Age-related cataracts are a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness around the world.
2. Diabetic retinopathy: Associated with diabetes and a major cause of visual impairment and blindness, retinopathy develops when high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in your retina.
3. Dry eye disease: A condition marked by insufficient tear fluid, which causes your eyes to dry up and leads to discomfort and potential visual problems.
4. Glaucoma: A group of diseases characterized by progressive degeneration of your optic nerve, which transfers visual information from eyes to brain. Glaucoma may cause poor eyesight or blindness.
5. Macular degeneration: The macula is the central part of your retina. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the main causes of blindness in developed countries.

Although your risk of getting these conditions depends to some extent on your genes, your diet  and nutrition may also play a major role. Here, we are sharing some nutrition tips to get healthy eyesight.

Diet & Nutrition

Good vision offers an quality of life and there is no substitution. Adding certain nutrients to your daily diet either through foods or supplements can help preserve your vision. Researchers have linked eye-friendly nutrients, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc, to reducing the risk of certain eye diseases.

Lutein & Zeaxanthin

Lutein and zeaxanthin are important nutrients found in green leafy vegetables, as well as other foods, such as eggs. Many studies show that lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most common causes of blindness in the world. This vitamin is essential for maintaining your eyes' light-sensing cells, also known as photoreceptors. If you do not consume enough vitamin A, you may experience night blindness, dry eyes, or even more serious conditions, depending on the severity of your deficiency. Vitamin A is only found in animal-derived foods. The richest dietary sources include liver, egg yolks, and dairy products. However, you can also get vitamin A from antioxidant plant compounds called provitamin A carotenoids, found in high amounts in some fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. Scientific evidence suggests vitamin C lowers the risk of developing cataracts. Also, when taken in combination with other essential nutrients, it can slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration and visual acuity loss.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant found in nuts, fortified cereals and sweet potatoes. Research indicates it protects cells in the eyes from unstable molecules called free radicals, which break down healthy tissue.

Essential Fatty Acids

Fats are a necessary part of the human diet. They maintain the integrity of the nervous system, fuel cells and boost the immune system. Research shows omega-3 fatty acids are important for proper visual development and retinal function.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential trace mineral or "helper molecule." It plays a vital role in bringing vitamin A from the liver to the retina in order to produce melanin, a protective pigment in the eyes. Zinc is highly concentrated in the eye, mostly in the retina and choroid, the vascular tissue layer lying under the retina.

Vitamin A:	Carrots, kale, spinach, dairy products, egg yolks
Vitamin C:	Citrus fruits (especially kiwi fruit) and juices, green peppers, broccoli, potatoes
Vitamin E:	Eggs, whole grains, vegetable oils, sunflower seeds
Lutein & Zeaxanthin	Spinach, corn, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts
Fatty acids:	Cold water fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and rainbow trout; sunflower oil, corn oil
Zinc:	Meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, dairy products

Tips

It is important that you take care of your eyes on a regular basis to maintain eye health. Eating eye-healthy foods is not the only way to protect your eyes. Other ways you can keep your eyes healthy include:

1. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or having obesity increases your risk of developing diabetes. Having diabetes puts you at higher risk of getting diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.
2. Get regular exercise. Exercise may help to prevent or control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These diseases can lead to some eye or vision problems. So if you exercise regularly, you can lower your risk of getting these eye and vision problems.
3. Wear sunglasses. Sun exposure can damage your eyes and raise your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Protect your eyes by using sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
4. Wear protective eye wear. To prevent eye injuries, you need eye protection when playing certain sports, working in jobs such as factory work and construction, and doing repairs or projects in your home.
5. Avoid smoking. Smoking increases the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve.
6. Know your other risk factors. As you get older, you are at higher risk of developing age-related eye diseases and conditions. It is important to know you risk factors because you may be able to lower your risk by changing some behaviors.
7. If you wear contacts, take steps to prevent eye infections. Wash your hands well before you put in or take out your contact lenses. Also follow the instructions on how to properly clean them, and replace them when needed.
8. Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time using a computer, you can forget to blink your eyes and your eyes can get tired. To reduce eyestrain, try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. Here are some other tips to help when you're on your computer:

1. Keep your computer screen within 20"-24" of your eye.
2. Keep the top of your computer screen slightly below eye level.
3. Adjust lighting to minimize glare on the screen.
4. Blink frequently.
5. Follow Ergonomics tips.

Takeaway

A healthy diet is essential for eye health. Maintaining a diet high in antioxidants will prevent the development of serious eye conditions and ensure your eyes work their best. Try to eat a variety of whole, unprocessed foods on a daily basis. See your doctor if you experience problems with your eyes to prevent more serious conditions from developing.