Tuesday was my "almost" annual eye check up. The real story is that I got a new prescription last year and never filled it. While my eyes are still quite healthy for my advancing age (haha) things are getting a little blurrier than they used to be. So I visited my great eye doctor, got my prescription updated and he was kind enough to give me four great tips on keeping my eyes healthy and young.
They were so simple and smart that I thought, man I gotta share these. I will say I had my guesses about #1 and #4, but I had never heard such an emphasis given or such good explanations given for each of these.
My Eye Doctor's Four Tips For Healthy Eyes
1. Always wear sunglasses outdoors. This isn't anything big or new but his emphasis was strong on this one. So sunglasses aren't just for looks or vanity - that's good to know. Sunglasses with a UV filter of 400 are your best option he said - you need that filtering of the UV rays. Tint is not as vital as UV protection.
2. Wear a hat for the same reasons. Shade, shade, shade the eyes to protect them from harmful rays that prematurely age them.
3. Do not read outdoors. The brightness reflects off the page and right back into your eyes. More attack of the harmful rays. If you must read, do it in the shade. (So much for reading while sitting in the sun on the beach or at the pool).
4. Eat blueberries. Everyone hears about eating carrots for the eyes, but my doctor said the best food for the eyes is the powerful anti-oxidant blueberries. What a little wonder those purple berries are and they are so easy to pop in the mouth. Plus they taste good with lots of other foods. You can eat them alone, with other berries, in pancakes, salads, or with nuts for a snack...there are just tons of options.
So of all the things my eye doctor could have recommended to me to keep my eyes healthy these were the four he was most passionate about. They don't seem too difficult to do either...well except giving up the reading at the beach...but seriously how much time do we grown ups really get to read out in the sun anyway. Thanks again for the great tips, Dr. R!
2 comments:
That is really good info! Thank you for sharing - I often don't wear sunglasses outside because I haven't found a pair I love. I think it's time to snag a good pair. Yikes!
Jane, now you can treat yourself to a special pair of sunglasses. :) I need to go through mine and get rid of the cheap ones and make sure I have the full UV 400 protection.
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