Eating your way to better Eyesight

Your diet and lifestyle can help ward off the onset of many diseases—every wise person knows that. But those who eat healthy do so particularly keeping in mind the health of the heart, brain and bones.

Vista Eye Specialists urge not to take the well being of your eye for granted and thus promotes eating healthy food which protects your vision.

It’s a well known fact that Beta-carotene found in carrots and other orange-colored fruits and vegetables like squash, apricots and pumpkin helps the retina and other parts of the eye to function smoothly. Beta-carotene is a precursor of vitamin A, which also aids the eyes to adjust to low levels of light at night.

Apart from the eye-friendly Beta-carotene, several vitamins and minerals are essential for healthy eyes. You’ll be surprised to know that these foods are not expensive or exclusive and making a conscious to incorporate them as part of your meals will help you safeguard your vision and your family’s.

Greens like spinach, kale, and collards and egg yolks contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which prevent the development of macular degeneration and cataracts. Lutein and zeaxanthin are pigments in the back part of the eye and keeping that part well nourished helps maintain normal physiology at the back of the eye.

Sea food like salmon, tuna, and other oily fish have DHA and EPA, the two omega-3 fatty acids which helps lower the odds of developing the advanced form of age related macular degeneration (AMD).

Wheat and nuts contain zinc protecting against macular degeneration and night blindness. Enjoying vitamin-C laden citrus, berries, peppers, tropical fruits, potatoes and a handful of Vitamin-E packed almonds as snacks instead of junk food also combats the risk of age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataracts.

Vista Eye Specialists believes that being proactive as far as your eye health goes, is always the smart thing to do. At Vista Eye we educate our patients that a well-balanced diet lowers the chance to fall victim to obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes which is the prime cause of blindness in adults.

A healthy diet, accompanied by regular eye checkups by the professional team of ophthalmologists at Vista Eye Specialists, Culpeper and Fredericksburg, can help prevent and identify eye problems in early stages before they get complex.

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Coping with the Allergies of the Eye:

Allergic conjunctivitis commonly known as eye allergies is a common condition of the eye in which it responds as a defense mechanism to the environmental irritants. The conditions of allergy may be hereditary. For example the dust which may be harmless to many, may cause a red eye, runny nose, sneezing or itchiness to some. The statistics state that about 30% to 50% of US residents are allergy prone of which 75% affect the eyes.

At Vista Eye repeatedly our experts are being asked of the allergies of the eye, their frequency and how to deal with it. We at Vista Eye stress on the fact that prevention is better than cure hence in any case if one is aware of the irritants of the eye present in the environment, proper care should be ensured for maximum avoidance of exposure to it. Keep away from pets, ensure your house dust free and avoid going out while remaining in an air conditioned home setting are some of the must avoidance techniques advised by Vista Eye.

Similarly there are certain seasons like for example when there is presence of too much pollen in the air whose exposure should be avoided at all costs by ensuring a wrap around sunglasses use and driving with closed windows.

So in the case when the patient doesn’t recognize factors that trigger the eye allergies and every effort of avoidance remains futile medications become the only option viable then. Many a times over the counter medicines which may be less expensive may not be enough hence prescribed medicines should be used as they are stronger, focused and hence more effective.

Sometimes eye drops serve the best purpose and may contain decongestants and cell stabilizers which inhibit inflammation. However we at Vista Eye always stress on avoidance and restrict medicine for the last resort.

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