The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released data that showed the worsening condition of eyesight in the country. The data read that about “14 million Americans aged 12 years and older have self-reported visual impairment defined as distance visual acuity of 20/50 or worse.” Aside from this, there are also diseases that can cause uncorrectable and correctable forms of visual impairment, such as diabetes. To make matters worse, the data say that 8.2% of those with self-reported vision problems do not have health insurance.
Once vision loss occurs, it would be difficult to return it to its normal state. Instead, what most people should aspire to target is to prevent vision loss from occurring in the first place.
Now, there are a number of things that can prevent vision loss. Among them is getting regular eye check-ups to ensure the health of your eyes, as well as getting the right prescription glasses to prevent your vision loss from progressing. Adding giving your eyes enough time to rest in when you’re staring at the computer all day, and avoid reading in the dark would make sense, too.
However, there is something else that you can do to get healthier, better eyesight: eat a healthy diet. Particularly, eat food rich in anthocyanins, astaxanthin, omega-3, lutein, and zeaxanthin, among others. Eating food rich in them would provide your eyes with the boost it needs to help you see better.
Indulge in the following:
- Bilberry and Blackcurrants – these berries have high levels of anthocyanins, which are clinically proven to improve eyesight and even helpful in preventing cataract and macular degeneration. Aside from these benefits, anthocyanins can also protect against liver injuries, reduce blood pressure, and suppress the spread of cancer cells.
- Astaxanthin supplement – Astaxanthin is an antioxidant whose primary function is to protect cells from being damaged. It is used to treat macular degeneration as well as a host of other diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It is also very useful in the treatment of cataracts, glaucoma, and other forms of inflammatory eye diseases. It is an effective antioxidant because it is able to penetrate the barriers in your body to bring its healthy properties directly in your eyes.
- Dark leafy vegetables – Vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and spinach are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that are known to have high nutritional value for the eyes. This is because both nutrients are found in the retina – particularly, the macula – which helps protect your eyes from damaging light as well as helps your eyes absorb blue light. A diet rich in these carotenoids is known to have a reduced risk of cataracts and advanced macular degeneration. What’s more, it can also help you detect contrast better as well as protect your vision in the long run.
- Eggs – Similar to dark leafy vegetables, eggs contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin. They are also highly absorbable which means the nutrients would be easily absorbed by your body and you would be able to get significant health benefits from it.
These are just some of the things you can eat to keep your vision healthy. To ensure optimal vision health however, ensure that you regularly have eye checkups and avoid overstraining your eyes. After all, a healthy diet can only do so much if you do not take care of your eyes!
