Medically Reviewed by: Edward C. Wade, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Do You Know How to Identify Eye Health Risks?

February 25, 2016 . min read

You can do many things to keep them healthy and make sure you’re seeing your best. Follow these simple guidelines for maintaining healthy eyes.

Diabetes – High blood sugar may cause the lens to swell, leading to distorted vision and can lead to diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness.

Obesity and High Blood Pressure – Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions, which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma.

Smoking – The risk of cataracts more than doubles for people who smoke and the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is three times higher.

Know your Family’s Eye Health History – Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition since many are hereditary. FYI…a very strong genetic correlation exists with glaucoma.

Eat right to protect your sight – Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables—particularly dark leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, or collard greens—is important for keeping your eyes healthy. Research has also shown there are eye health benefits from eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut.

Prolonged Use of Corticosteroid Medications – the use of inhaled and oral steroids as well as eye drops containing steroids can accelerate the development of cataracts and contribute to glaucoma.

Drinking Excessive Amounts of Alcohol – chronic drinkers are at a higher risk for eye disorders.

Previous Eye Injury or Eye Surgery – this is the leading cause of cataracts in people under 40.

Wear Your Shades – When purchasing sunglasses, look for ones that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.

Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing on any one thing, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.

Our doctors, Dr. Mark L. Mayo, Dr. Edward Wade, Dr. Ting-Fang Suarez, and Dr. Paul Stewart recommend if any of these factors are creating vision problems, schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam with your eye doctor.