February 13, 2014 
Useful tips for protecting and rejuvenating eyes, revealed by the popular Dr. Oz…
Proper diet protects your eyes
Here are some excerpts from the chapter ”Look around you” where the authors are talking about the aging of eyes and give useful tips which can help you stop this process.
Regardless of whether the eyes are windows to the soul, or a means of visualizing our environment , we can all agree on at least one thing. These delicate organs are of the utmost importance to our lives. However , it seems that we accept the weaking of vision that comes with age just like we accept the reduction of revenues at the same age, as just another part of life. While it is true that some people are prone to loss of vision in advance, in the older age you do not have to come to terms with vague, dark or colorless world. If you do something to protect your eyes , especially from ultraviolet radiation as one of the main causes of aging, and if you feed them with the right food , you arm yourselves with the optimal optical arsenal.
Aging of eyes
It is difficult to define the vision loss. Between the extremes of complete blindness and normal binocular vision there is a whole range of vision problems. Over the years, problems can occur with the speed of the visual process , sensitivity to light and reducing of the visual field . But when we talk about the sense of sight, it’s not just about what we see but also the neurological functioning of these organs. You may be able to see the objects, but it is hard to put together the whole picture . An important example is driving. You can see all elements individually (pedestrians who cross the road, changing of the traffic lights, shop on the corner, but it ‘s hard to really focus on what is important.
Add to all of this another fact that older people find it hard to see something on a dimly lit street and to recover from bright light (such as from car headlights coming from opposite direction), and you’ve got a whole range of visual problems. It is difficult to discern what you see, but even if you succeed in that, the information can not be processed fast enough in order to understand how attention should be given to pedestrians, and not to a cell phone that is in your hand. Given the fact that over the years it is getting more difficult to assess the moving object approaching us, and given that the largest number of car accidents happen when turning left, we often advise our older that it is better to turn right three times in order to arrive safely there where they would come if they had immediately turned left.
Protect your eyes from the sun rays:
- Stop the rays . Sunglasses do not just help you hide from the paparazzi. They are not intended to make you look ‘colder’ than the glaciers in Alaska . They will protect your eyes from bad UVA and UVB rays.
- Find glasses that filter out both types of rays (they do not have to be expensive). Look at the label, you should find a 99 or 100 percent protection from ultraviolet radiation. To be safe, get them checked by an expert.
- They should be dark enough to soften the glare, but not that dark that they change the color of the environmenet, which might lead to the misinterpretation of the traffic lights. Shade is a matter of personal taste.
- If you wear contact lenses with protection against ultraviolet radiation you should still wear sunglasses.
Given the fact that ultraviolet rays can penetrate on the sides and from above, it would be wise to wear a hat with a wide brim to prevent the penetration of light.
Protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation, especially in the hills or on the water . Be sure to use protective equipment for eyes . Skiing (water and snow) is not only dangerous for the joints , but also for the eyes , because they are exposed to sun rays which are reflected from water or snow. When you spend time on the snow, water or concrete, you have to have stronger protection from ultraviolet radiation, due to the fact that these surfaces reflect UV rays. Please follow the rules that apply both to eyes and skin:Č if you will be exposed to the sun , do everything you can to block as much of the sun’s rays.
Tips for Healthy Eyes:
Visit ophthalmologist. When you pass 40 years, do it every two years, even if you do not notice changes in vision. Not only could ophthalmologist reveal some problems, such as glaucoma which has no symptoms, the doctor will be able to look at your blood vessels in the brain and the brain itself. Ophthalmologists are often the first doctors to detect conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Nourish the eyes. If you take the right foods, you can be sure that some of them will end up in the eyes. It is recommended to eat:
- Lutein. It can be found in spinach , leafy greens and corn. Lutein improves eye health by preventing oxidative damage to the retina. You can take it as a supplement , 6-30 mg daily.
- Vitamin C. Research shows that people who eat more fruits and vegetables (which contain vitamin C ) have a lower risk of vision disorders than those who eat little of these foods .
- Glutathione. It is found in eggs, garlic, avocado, asparagus and onion. This “exterminator of free radicals” is effective in preventing cataracts 500 mg daily). A dietary supplement N-acetylcysteine also helps (again 500 mg daily).
- Cocktails for eyes. A large trial sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that some vitamins , when taken together , can help prevent vision loss in people who have macular degeneration, as the side effect of aging. The research found that people who already had wet macular degeneration can reduce the risk of vision loss by more than 25 percent if they take 500 mg of vitamin C , 400 mg of vitamin E, 15 mg beta -carotene (carrots are really good for the eyes), 80 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper, each day in divided doses.
Keep the distance. There are no evidence that suggest that longer exposure to television can harm the eyes. However, this only applies if you sit at the right distance from the TV set, so that your eyes can adjust to the picture. Measure the diagonal length of the screen of your television and sit at least this distance away from it.
Taken from: www.zdravakrava.hr