AARP Smart Guide to Eye Health

8. Crack an egg

Just like dark, leafy greens, eggs are a great source of UV-protecting lutein and zeaxanthin. A recent study even suggested that the moderate consumption of eggs (two to four per week) could significantly decrease one’s risk of developing late-stage AMD. 

9. Nosh on nuts

Because they’re rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, nuts and seeds are good for your eyes, helping to reduce the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and peanuts all offer a satisfying crunch that can easily replace less-healthy snacks.

10. Eat the Mediterranean way

The Mediterranean diet, rich in plant-based foods, nuts, oils and fish, is probably the one that comes closest to addressing all our body’s needs, according to experts. “It has to do overall with a balanced diet, receiving all those micronutrients you should be receiving, and avoiding any pro-inflammatory components in your diet: fast foods, fried foods, etc.,” Gibbons says. Some studies even suggest that adopting this diet could help lower your risk of developing AMD.

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FINE-TUNE YOUR HABITS

11. Make time for cardio

Your eyes depend on your heart to function well. Regular aerobic exercise helps prevent cardiovascular diseases and chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes, all of which put you at a higher risk of vision loss. The CDC recommends that older adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise — walking, swimming, cycling or even active gardening — per week.

12. Give your eyes regular breaks

When you read or sit in front of the computer for hours at a time, you can give yourself eyestrain. While the condition usually isn’t dangerous, it can cause a lot of discomfort, including eye irritation, headaches and blurred vision. To prevent your eyes from getting too tired, the National Eye Institute recommends the 20/20/20 technique: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet into the distance for 20 seconds.

13. Wear your specs (if you need them)

Between the ages of 40 and 50, it’s normal to develop presbyopia, also known as age-related farsightedness. That’s what makes small type blur at close range and come into focus at arm’s length. Uncorrected presbyopia can lead to eyestrain and headaches. For those with no other vision problems, over-the-counter reading glasses might resolve the issue. People who already wear glasses can consider bifocals, trifocals or progressive lenses. If you’re on a computer all day for work, you might also ask your doc about computer glasses, which dedicate more space on the lens to intermediate distances.

14. Always remove your makeup

“You have over 100 tiny glands along your lash line, believe it or not,” Haller says. Whenever you apply makeup, you run the risk of clogging these oil glands, making it more difficult for your eyes to stay lubricated and putting yourself at risk for styes and other eye infections. The drier, flaking skin that comes with age can also contribute to blocked oil glands. Even if you used to sleep in your mascara without issues, you should now be sure to take it off before bed. Haller also recommends applying warm compresses on your eyes every night. “That helps keep the little glands along the lash line kind of steamed open and healthy,” she says.

15. Toss expired beauty products

Though not all cosmetics are marked with expiration dates, they all go bad eventually, collecting fungus and bacteria that can harm your eyes and lead to infections like conjunctivitis. Experts recommend throwing away mascara and eyeliner after three months of use. Solid makeup like powder eye shadow can be kept for about a year, according to Matthew F. Gardiner, M.D., associate chief for clinical affairs in ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. You should also discard any products that haven’t been stored according to the instructions on the label or that you used on your eyes while you had an infection, says Vlad Diaconita, M.D., an ophthalmologist and assistant professor at Columbia University.

16. Get safety glasses

When you’re mowing the lawn or tackling a DIY project, you can create tiny projectiles that fly into your eye and cause a scratch or infection. Racket sports like squash or racquetball are also notorious for eye injuries. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to prevent this problem: wear protective glasses. “We see an awful lot of eye trauma, and most of the eye trauma is very preventable by just wearing some over-the-counter goggles,” Gardiner says.

17. Master your screens

To reduce the risk of eyestrain from your computer, position yourself about an arm’s length away from the monitor. Your screen should be no higher than your face; if you continuously look up, your eyes will open wider and get drier. If the light in the room is low, keep the screen’s brightness lower too, or you might need to squint to focus, which would increase the feeling of strain. Above all, remember to blink. “When you’re looking at something and concentrating on it, your blink rate goes down by half,” Gardiner says. That could cause your eyes to feel dry and irritated. It’s what ophthalmologists call “computer vision syndrome.” “It’s not that there’s some emission or something bad coming out of the screen that’s burning you or hurting you,” Gardiner says. “It’s simply that you’re not blinking.”

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MEDICAL MATTERS

18. Manage your diabetes

“People with diabetes don’t think eye,” Haller says. “Yet the eye is the No. 1 organ most impacted by diabetes.” According to the CDC, diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. Keeping your blood sugar under control and getting frequent eye exams are the best ways to keep any complications at bay. The National Eye Institute recommends that people with diabetes schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.

19. Get your shingles shots

The shingles vaccine is crucial for preserving your eye health, Gibbons says. “When you get shingles, about 10 to 15 percent of the time it actually affects your eye directly,” he explains. “People have gone blind from this; people can also develop chronic pain and other eye issues.” The CDC recommends that all adults age 50 and older get two doses of the vaccine.

20. Check out any changes in your eyesight

“The amount of vision loss that is truly attributable to healthy aging is negligible,” says Gibbons. “It does exist, but it’s almost zero.” In other words, if you notice a change in your vision, you shouldn’t assume it’s normal. Instead, book an appointment with your eye doctor. When it comes to eye diseases, the sooner a condition is detected, the better, Diaconita says.

21. Understand the early warning signs of vision problems

Again, most serious eye diseases don’t have early-stage warning signs and nothing replaces regular checkups, but here are a few vision changes that should have you calling for an appointment ASAP.

• It’s more and more difficult to distinguish objects from their backgrounds: Having trouble pouring coffee into a dark mug or finding a black wallet in a black purse can be signs of a loss of contrast sensitivity. Even though a mild reduction in contrast sensitivity with age is common, it could be a symptom of a more serious disease, such as cataracts or AMD, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
• It feels as though a veil is covering your eyes: If your vision is hazy, colors seem faded, and light sources seem too bright, you may have cataracts. They’re very common with age. According to the National Eye Institute, more than half of Americans 80 and older either have cataracts or have undergone surgery to get rid of them. Cataract surgery to replace clouded lenses with artificial lenses is one of the most common procedures in the country.
• It feels like you have sand in your eye: If you experience a gritty, burning feeling, you may have dry eyes. It’s a common condition in older adults, especially women who have gone through menopause, but the symptoms can be eased with artificial tears or prescription eye drops. If you try over-the-counter artificial tears, look for a single-purpose product, not one that also targets redness or other issues.
• You see new floaters and flashing lights: The sudden appearance of new floaters — dark spots, cobwebs or squiggly lines — in your field of vision; flashing lights; or the sensation that a curtain has been drawn in front of your eyes are potential signs of a retinal detachment. This is an urgent condition that can lead to blindness if not treated quickly, so you should visit the eye doctor or the emergency room immediately.
• Things look blurry right in front of you: A loss of focus in the center of your field of vision could be a sign of AMD. This disease damages the macula, a part of the retina responsible for seeing colors and details. Central vision loss could also be a sign of diabetic retinopathy or other eye conditions, so it’s important to get a proper diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.

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