Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 4-15-22

Health
Our vision is one of the most important parts of living and functioning in the world. So important that there is a bil- lion-dollar industry behind eye health. Checking up on your eyes and keeping them healthy is a great way to make sure your vision is good as you age. Things like Laser surgery, con- tacts, and glasses aren’t cheap, which means many people are more than likely cutting cor- ners when it comes to healthy vision. Everyone doesn’t have access to a doctor or proper eye care treatment, but luckily there are some methods that can help and they are com- pletely natural! Here is a list of
ways to naturally improve your eyesight.
Take Your Vitamins
There is a multitude of rea- sons why people take vitamins and unfortunately better vision isn’t usually a highlighted topic. Vitamins A, C, and E are high in zinc and contain antioxidants that can prevent harmful condi-
tions from hindering your eye- sight.
Taking vitamins is a good way to get those vitamins you need, but there are plenty of foods that can help. Everything from broccoli, carrots, red pep- pers, spinach, strawberries, and sweet potatoes is great for vi- sion. Foods like salmon, and flaxseed contain omega-3 fatty acids that are also great for your vision health.
Keep Your Hands Clean
The eyes are a very sensitive part of the body and are sensi- tive to germs and infections.
Even the smallest particles can irritate your eyes and nega- tively affect your vision. This is why you should keep your hands clean as much as possi- ble.
Naturally, we all touch our eyes frequently during the day, so having unclean fingers can put you at risk for an infection.
Exercise
If you’re just a casual Google user, you may look for ways to improve just about any- thing and you will see that fre- quent exercise helps with just about everything. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help more than just your waistline. A lack of exercise could start a domino effect of poor vision.
When you are overweight or obese you are subject to dis- eases like diabetes which can cause damage to the tiny blood vessels in the eyes.
Also, if you have too much sugar in your bloodstream it can harm the walls of your ar- teries, potentially resulting in issues with vision. Conditions like diabetic retinopathy can cause the arteries in your retina to leak blood and fluid in the eye.
Wear Your Sunglasses
This summer you will prob- ably be wearing sunglasses for fashion, but sunglasses play a huge role in vision health.
When purchasing the right sunglasses, you need to get some that can block out 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation from sunlight!
Sunglasses can be highly ef- fective in protecting your eyes from conditions that come from eye damage. Conditions like cataracts, muscular degen- eration and pterygium can cause a growth of tissue over the eye resulting in astigma- tism, which can cause blurry vi- sion.
Know Your Family History
Like many other condi- tions, poor vision can be hered- itary. This means that paying close attention can prevent any long-term complications.
Some of the diseases that are hereditary may be glau- coma, retinal degeneration, age-related macular degenera- tion, and optic atrophy.
There are so many factors that affect your vision and a lot of them may not be things you would consider. Things like maintaining a healthy weight, eating vegetables, and wearing sunglasses will make a bigger impact than you could imagine. Ultimately, it takes consistent effort to strengthen your eyes naturally. If you are experienc- ing severe blurriness or even partial blindness you should seek a healthcare professional immediately.
PAGE 8-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2022