38% of adults experience dry eye, a lack of tears or poor quality of tears, which can cause irritated or gritty eyes, redness, burning, blurred vision.
Here are 5 tips for a life time of healthy vision. Honolulu eye doctors, Daniel Yamamoto, O.D. and Tracie Inouchi, O.D. suggest:
Schedule Yearly Comprehensive Exams. Seeing a doctor of optometry regularly will help keep you on the path to healthy eyes.
Protect against UV rays. No matter the season its important to wear sunglasses.
Give your eyes a break from digital device use. Practice the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away.
Eat your greens. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables – particularly the leafy green variety.
Practice safe wear and care of your contact lenses. Keep them clean.
Many consumers know they should eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day but what they may not know is what you eat can affect your eye health and vision as you age. Six nutrients ― antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, essential fatty acids, vitamins C and E and the mineral zinc ― have been identified as helping to protect eye sight and promote visual health.
Since the body doesn’t make these nutrients naturally, it’s important that they are incorporated into your daily diet and, in some cases, supplemented with vitamins. Yet, according to the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) 2014 American Eye-Q® survey, 73 percent of Americans do not incorporate any specific foods or supplements into their diet to help improve eye health or vision.
Also, contrary to popular belief, carrots are not at the top of the list for foods that are among the best for the eyes. To increase your intake of essential eye-healthy nutrients, the AOA recommends adding the following to your diet:
Foods rich in lutein and zeathanthin including green, leafy veggies, such as spinach, broccoli and kale and bright yellow/red foods like tomatoes, peppers, egg yolks and mangos;
Omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna or mackerel;
Grapefruit, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, papaya, oranges and green peppers, which are the top sources for vitamin C;
Sunflower seeds, wheat germ oil, almonds, pecans and vegetable oils for Vitamin E; and
Turkey, oysters, crab, eggs, peanuts and whole grains for zinc.
The ninth annual American Eye-Q® survey was created and commissioned in conjunction with Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB). From March 20-25, 2014, PSB conducted 1,000 online interviews among Americans 18 years and older who embodied a nationally representative sample of the U.S. general population. (Margin of error is plus or minus 3.10 percentage points at a 95% confidence level)
