Tips to Maintain Good Eye Health

by Sheila O’ Hanlon

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They say the eyes are the windows of the soul but did you also know –

• Newborns don’t shed tears, though they do know how to cry.
• You blink about 15-20 times in a minute.
• The most active muscles in your body are in your eyes.
• Your eyes can get sunburned.

Amazing facts right ? …  It’s an amazing body part.

Your eyes are pretty important, and with that eye health. In fact, 64%* of people value their sight more than any other sense and yet 36%* of you admit leaving it ‘months’ – and 13%* of you even leave it ‘years’ before seeking help, even after noticing your eyesight has deteriorated.

And recently I have been asked a lot of questions about eye health including vision and dry eyes that seems to effect a majority of people particularly in the mornings. So i wanted to share some of the advice i give to my students and clients.

Tips to improve Eye Health

• Drinking clean filtered water is essential for good health and your eyes need a good supply as they are self cleaning.
• Proper sleep in a dark room allows your retina to heal and repair. Leaving all electronics away from the bed, phones, iPads etc. Ideally not having a TV in the bedroom is most beneficial.
• Wearing protective sunglasses on a sunny day.
• Giving up smoking! Did you know that smoking cigarettes increases free radical production all over the body and. Can seriously cause eyesight and eye health in general to deteriorate. (KINESIOLOGY can also help you to give those monkeys on your back [cigs, drugs, alcohol, toxic relationships] their P45’s!)
• Taking care of your cardiovascular system by healthy eating and moderate exercise also a great supplement at the onset of winter of CoQ10 to give your heart a boost . High blood pressure can do damage to the tiny blood vessels of your retina and may obstruct the blood flow.One of the best ways to maintain healthy blood pressure is to avoid fructose. Did you know that consuming over 70 grams of fructose or 2 cans of fizzy drink can seriously affect your blood pressure and heart health.
• Keep your blood sugar levels in check by opting for food that doesn’t come in a box, learn to love yourself enough to want to prepare a lovely home cooked meal for yourself! Your future self will kiss the ground you walk on xxx.  Too much sugar in your daily intake of food blood can pull fluid from the lens of your eye, affecting your ability to focus. And, it can damage the blood vessels in your retina, also obstructing blood flow.
• Eat plenty of fresh dark green leafy vegetables, especially kale. Studies have shown that a diet rich in dark leafy greens helps support eye health. And that those with the highest consumption of carotene-rich vegetables, especially ones rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, had increased vision health.
• Get plenty of healthy omega-3 fat. “A study published in the August 2001 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology found that consuming omega-3 fatty acids was protective of your healthy vision. Unfortunately, due to widespread pollution and fish farming, fish is no longer an ideal source for omega-3 fats unless you can verify its purity. An extraordinary alternative is krill oil, which also contains astaxanthin. This potent antioxidant also has specific benefits for your eyes.”
• Avoid trans fats. A diet high in trans fat appears to contribute to macular degeneration by interfering with omega-3 fats in your body. Trans fat is found in a lot of processed foods and baked goods, including margarine, cooking fat, fried foods like chips, deep fried chicken, any genre of meat in a can and donuts, cookies, pastries and biscuits. Avoiding trans fat is the best decision you can make for your continued good eyesight.
• Avoid aspartame at all costs!!! Vision problems is one of the many acute symptoms of aspartame poisoning. Tests on lab rats consuming high amounts of aspartame showed growths of tumors and eye defects!
• Antioxidants— a substance that inhibits oxidation especially vitamin C (broccoli, kiwi, strawberries, citrus fruit, cauliflower) and vitamin E (wheatgrass, wheatgerm) as these remove potentially damaging oxidizing agents in living organisms. Antioxidants neutralize the dangerous build up of free radicals in your body and your eyes.
• Vitamin A – is needed in large quantities.

These antioxidants in particular have shown to benefit your eye health:

Lutein
Zeaxanthin
Black currant anthocyanins

SOURCES OF LUTEIN IN FOOD: (Lutein per cup, cooked and drained)

Kale ……………26.5mg
Spinach………13.3mg
Broccoli…………3.4mg
Corn………………1.4mg

Romaine lettuce, raw…..1.4mg

Courgettes……..2.7mg
Peas………………2.4mg
Oranges………… 0.31mg

No matter who you are, regular eye exams are important for seeing more clearly, learning more easily and preserving your vision for life.  Your eyes are not only the most important of your 5 senses, but without proper eye care, the health in the other areas of your body will suffer. As you may know it is extremely important to keep your eyes healthy.