Top foods for healthy eyes

Your eyesight is vital to your daily life, yet it’s often neglected given the busy nature of day to day life. To celebrate National Eye Health Week, Pulse has put together some top tips to keep your eyes healthy.

• Eat well– a balanced diet is key to keeping your eyes healthy and it can even prevent certain eye conditions. Eating a balanced diet including colourful fruit and vegetables help prevent high blood pressure and diseases such as diabetes, which impact eye health. Remember ‘Eat right to protect your sight’ – see the infographic above for a range of eye-health boosting foods.
• Quit smoking– smokers are twice as likely to lose their sight in later life, than non-smokers. Quitting smoking won’t just improve your eye health but your overall health.
• Don’t miss your eye tests– only 22.4% people in the UK have regular eye-tests. Missing these could means that many eye conditions go unnoticed. You should visit the opticians for an eye examination every one to two years.
• Keep hydrated– drinking water is beneficial for your general health, as well as that of your eyes. It is recommended that you drink six to eight glasses of water per day – which will prevent your body and eyes from becoming dehydrated.
• Wash your hands regularly– both in work and outside of work, keeping your hands clean will reduce the spread of colds and eye infections. Always ensure you wash your hands before handling contact lenses.
• Know your eye history– many eye conditions are degenerative including glaucoma – so be aware of your family’s eye health history and take advice on how to prevent or delay onset.
• Wear sunglasses– UV radiation can hurt your eyes, just as it can your skin. Try to wear sunglasses that block 100% of UV-A and UV-B rays when you’re outside to protect your eyes.

If you experience any changes with your eyes, quick diagnosis and treatment can help reduce long term problems. 2 million people in the UK are living with sight loss that is severe enough to have a significant impact on their daily lives – 50% of this is avoidable and a sight test can detect early signs of many conditions which can be treated if found soon enough.

Find your local optician here and book an eye test today. Not only could it prevent future eye issues but it could also detect other health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Your vision really does matter.

The information in this blog is for general informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised guidance. The author(s) and publisher(s) are not liable for errors or omissions, and reliance on the content is at your own risk.