By now you know that I have a passion for educating my patients on the importance of eye health. I'd like to take that a step further. My goal is to educate you, my patient, on the impact total health and wellness can have on eye health. I like to call area of focus "Wellness Optometry." By keeping your body healthy through proper diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices, you can protect your eyes against several kinds of sight-threatening diseases. I want to help you on that journey.
I want to share with you something called "The Visionary Diet." I found this while doing research on eye health and nutrition. The diet was written by Elizabeth Somer, a Registered Dietician and author of Age Proof your Body.
This diet is not meant to be inclusive of what it will take to get you to the "healthiest you" possible, but it will certainly help your eyes and body get on the right track!
The Visionary Diet:
1. Consume eight servings of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables per day.Include two servings of lutein-rich dark, green leafy vegetables and two servings of vitamin C-rich citrus fruits.
2. Take a moderate-dose multiple vitamin and mineral supplement on the days when you don’t eat perfectly. (At Family Vision Care, we recommend daily use of multivitamins if not contraindicated)
3. Limit or avoid saturated fat. Reduce the intake of meat and fatty dairy products; emphasize the eye-healthy fats in fish.
4. Wear protective sunglasses year-round. They filter out 99 to 100 percent of damaging UV rays.
5. Don’t forget regular visits to your doctor of optometry.The American Optometric Association recommends adults age 60 and under should have a comprehensive eye examination every two years, or as recommended by an eye doctor. Adults over age 60 should have an eye exam annually.
6. Smoking Cessation. Smoking can increase the risk of cataract formation, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, as well as elevates risk for several different systemic diseases that can affect eyesight. Did you know that Age-Related Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people 55 and over in the Western world and that the incidence (new cases) is expected to triple by 2025? (I added this one in)
To me, all six points discussed above seem pretty reasonable especially if the reward is a chance to preserve our most precious gift...the gift of sight. What do you think?
Keeping an Eye on You,
Betsy W. Fraser, O.D.
Read more about today's topic: http://www.aoa.org/x12852.xml
Link to MyPyramid.gov: http://www.mypyramid.gov/
