Eye Health

6 Common Eye Concerns After 40

 Jan 25, 2021

Can Your Diet Affect Your Eye Health? Essential Nutrients for Healthy Vision

When it comes to taking care of your eyes, most people focus on glasses, contacts, or eye exams. But did you know that what you eat plays a significant role in maintaining good vision? Your diet provides essential nutrients that support eye health and may help reduce the risk of certain eye diseases. Let’s dive into the connection between nutrition and vision and explore how you can nourish your eyes for long-term health!

How Diet Impacts Eye Health

Just like any other part of your body, your eyes need proper nutrients to function effectively. A balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can help protect against oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy circulation—three key factors in maintaining good vision.

Certain nutrients have been shown to support eye health and may even help lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, and dry eye syndrome. While food alone can’t guarantee perfect vision, it can certainly give your eyes the support they need to stay strong and healthy.

Essential Nutrients for Eye Health

To keep your vision sharp, focus on including these essential nutrients in your daily diet:

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is crucial for maintaining excellent vision and preventing night blindness. It helps your eyes adjust to different lighting conditions and keeps your cornea (the eye’s surface) healthy.

Sources: Carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and dairy products.

2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3s support retinal health and help prevent dry eyes by maintaining the eye’s natural lubrication. They also play a role in reducing inflammation.

Sources: Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines), walnuts, and flaxseeds.

3. Lutein and Zeaxanthin

These powerful antioxidants filter harmful blue light and protect the retina from damage, reducing the risk of AMD and cataracts.

Sources: Kale, spinach, eggs, and corn.

4. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect your eyes from oxidative damage and supports healthy blood vessels in the eyes.

Sources: Citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, grapefruits), bell peppers, and strawberries.

5. Zinc

Zinc is essential for maintaining retinal health and can help prevent night blindness and AMD.

Sources: Meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds, and nuts.

Making Dietary Changes for Better Eye Health

Improving your diet doesn’t have to be complicated! Here are a few simple steps to incorporate more eye-friendly nutrients into your meals:

  • Plan Balanced Meals: Add a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to your plate. Aim for at least five servings daily.
  • Eat More Leafy Greens: Spinach, kale, and collard greens are packed with eye-protecting antioxidants.
  • Incorporate Omega-3s: Enjoy fatty fish twice a week or add flaxseeds and walnuts to your snacks.
  • Snack Smart: Swap processed snacks for nuts, seeds, or fresh fruit.
  • Stay Hydrated: Proper hydration helps maintain moisture in your eyes and reduces dryness.

Regular Eye Exams Are Just as Important

While nutrition plays a vital role in eye health, routine eye exams are equally important. Regular check-ups can help detect potential issues early and ensure your vision remains in top condition. If you live in Idaho Falls, consult a trusted eye care professional to get personalized advice on protecting your eyesight.

FAQs About Diet and Eye Health

1. Can I take supplements instead of eating nutrient-rich foods?

While supplements can help if you have a deficiency, it’s always best to get nutrients from whole foods. Natural sources provide a combination of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that work together for optimal health.

2. How long does it take for dietary changes to impact my eye health?

It varies from person to person, but consistent healthy eating habits can show benefits in a few months. Maintaining a nutrient-rich diet long-term is key.

3. Are there any foods that can harm my eyes?

Excess sugar, processed foods, and unhealthy fats can contribute to inflammation and increase the risk of conditions like diabetes, which can negatively affect eye health.

Conclusion

Your diet plays a crucial role in keeping your eyes healthy and reducing the risk of vision problems. By incorporating nutrient-rich foods, staying hydrated, and maintaining regular eye exams, you can take proactive steps toward long-term eye health. Small changes today can lead to a lifetime of clearer vision—so why not start now?

Take care of your eyes by nourishing them with the right foods and visiting your eye care provider for regular check-ups. A little effort goes a long way in protecting your precious sight!

6 Common Eye Concerns After 40

 Jan 25, 2021

3 Tools To Help with Dry Eye Disease

Do your eyes feel dry? Do they ache or burn or itch? Does it feel like you have a “gravel” sensation that comes and goes? Does your vision seem to get blurrier as the day goes on? Or maybe your vision seems clearest right after you blink? Now, most people at some time or another could answer “yes” to these questions. But there are many individuals out there who unfortunately suffer from these symptoms daily, even to the point where their poor eyes always feel uncomfortable.

Although multiple eye conditions can play a role in these symptoms, the most common cause of all these symptoms is called ocular surface disease (OSD). OSD is a blanket term for eye conditions that affect the surface of the eyeball. What you see when you look in the mirror at your eye: your eyelids, eyelashes, sclera (the white part of your eye), conjunctiva (the transparent membrane you can’t see on top of the sclera), and one of the most sensitive structures on our whole body, the cornea (the clear structure that is in front of the colored part of your eye (iris).

Of all the ocular surface diseases out there, the most common type is Dry Eye Disease (DED), which affects as many as 50 million Americans every year. There are a wide array of causes of DED and those causes can have connections to other systemic issues happening in the body. There are two major types of DED. The first and most common is evaporative DED. This is where our tear film doesn’t last as long as it should between our blink and the tears evaporate too quickly. The other is called Aqueous-Deficient DED. This is where our lacrimal gland (our tear-making gland located behind the corner of our eyebrow) doesn’t produce enough tears or in some cases too many low-quality tears. Most DED sufferers have a combination of these two types.

There are far too many causes and effective treatment options for those causes, to cover in this short article. But some easy at-home treatments tend to help across the DED spectrum. I will recommend three high-yield simple treatments that can serve as a starting point for finding some relief to the discomfort produced by DED. These recommendations are based on what I see most commonly every day in our OSD/DED clinic at ABSee Vision Care.

Our eyes are constantly being coated with a special mixture of oil, immune modulators, and enzymes. This coating is called the tear film and it has 3 key layers: The superficial lipid (oil) layer, and the aqueous and mucin layer. These components of the tear film come from different sources. The lipid layer is supplied mainly by oil-producing glands in our eyelids called meibomian glands. When these glands function properly, our blinking causes them to pump lubricating and clearing meibum (good oil) into our tears and onto our eyes. However, in many people, these glands are plugged up from debris, dead skin cells, and old solidified oil. This blockage can be improved and sometimes reversed with the right tools.

Tool one

A nightly warm compress. The best way to improve the functioning of these oil glands is through heat. Using an eye-specific microwavable heat mask (one that holds heat for at least 8-10 minutes is ideal). A brand called Bruder makes a good one and 20 seconds in the microwave is usually enough heat and then rest that heat mask on your closed eyes nightly. After about 2 weeks, you’ll usually notice an improvement in how your eyes feel. Your vision may even be a little murky right after using the mask. Don’t worry, that’s just the oil that has been blocked up (think of liquifying solid butter).

Tool two

An “oil-based” preservative-free artificial tear. Supplementing our oil from an outside source, while we work on improving our eye oil gland health with the heat mask can be very helpful in getting faster relief. Many artificial tear brands make an “evaporative dry eye” drop. I’ll list a few of my favorites (all of the following should be used at least 4 times a day and say “preservative free” on the label): Systane Complete, Refresh Mega, Retaine MGD, Soothe XP, and iVizia.

Tool three

Drinking enough water. This one sounds simple, but many of my dry eye sufferers are surprised when they start monitoring their water intake and find that it is very low. The recommended range depends on the person, but a good goal for DED sufferers is between 64-100 ounces of water daily. There are also “Dry Eye Drink” mixes now available that I have seen be particularly helpful in DED that have an autoimmune origin/component (Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogren’s Syndrome sufferers for example.) Bruder also makes a quality version of this drink mix that I would recommend.

Now, if these tools don’t yield much improvement in how your eyes are feeling after about two weeks of consistent use, I recommend that you get a dry eye evaluation from a dry eye and ocular surface disease specialist such as myself. During these evaluations, we use state-of-the-art measuring equipment and thorough eye examinations to determine the sources of your eye issues and create customized treatment plans and systems to fix your eyes. There is relief out there for your achy dry eyes, but usually, the first step is identifying the cause so the treatment can be tailored appropriately.