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- Eye Care Treatment
- Eye Disease
- Lasik Surgery
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Ways To Keep Your Eyes Young and Your Vision Strong
Our eye's ability to focus reaches its peak at around
12 years old, then slowly declines with every year thereafter. By
the time we reach ages 35 to 45, many of us begin to notice we're
holding reading material so far away that our arms seem too short.
It's called presbyopia, the age-related vision change that occurs as
your once-flexible lens becomes harder and less clear. Here's what
to do when you notice that your vision is starting to get bad.
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Schedule for an eye check-up. Schedule an eye
examination to review the health of your eyes and the
overall functioning of your visual system. This includes
tests for how well your eyes focus on objects, both far and
near, and how well they work together for depth perception.
Don't make excuses, like telling yourself you can see okay
so long as the lighting is bright enough or you're feeling
okay. It is true that your vision may be sharper in the
bright light of a sunny day since the pupils constrict and
increase your depth of focus. But you also deserve to see
well indoors, in the soothing light of your room, or when
walking the streets at night.
If you notice yourself squinting to clear up blurry letters,
you're doing yourself no youthful favors. |
Constant squinting deepens the lines around
your eyes, making you look older. Squinting in bright sunlight
is no better. Wear sunglasses to help preserve the smooth
appearance of your face around your eyes. Sunglasses will also
help to prevent cataracts, which can be caused by sun damage.
A new pair of glasses or a specially designed
pair of contact lenses will restore your ability to see close-up
again. Your own best option may be bifocals, bifocal contact
lenses, or a pair of reading glasses. Check with your eye
professional for recommendation.
Although not all eye professionals agree, some advocate
exercising the muscles in the eyes the same way you exercise the
other muscles in your body.
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Eye experts suggest the following tips for
those who want to keep their visual system functioning well.
1. As you go about your daily life, practice
tracking moving objects and following things. Computer games
help with this, but take frequent breaks.
2. Shift your gaze often. Fix your sights on something in
one corner of the room, then the other in a rhythmic way.
Look here and there. Focus near, then focus far. When you're
reading, look across the room every 2 minutes.
The very best thing that you can do to keep your eyes young
and your vision sharp is to practice prevention. Investing a
little attention in your eyesight now will go a long way
toward keeping it healthy in the future. Here's what the
experts recommend. |
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1. Wayne Fung, M.D., an ophthalmologist at the California Pacific
Medical Center in San Francisco, recommends munching on fruits and
vegetables that are rich in beta-carotene. The beta-carotene is
important for good eye health, and eating fruits and vegetables adds
fiber, which is important to your overall health. Good choices
include papaya, mango, kale, Swiss chard, pumpkin, broccoli, and
spinach, he says.
2. As your eyes age, the protein material in your lens may begin to
cloud, subtly at first, like adding drops of milk to a glass of
water, one at a time. Getting annual eye examinations during your
middle-aged years will diagnose cataracts early, before they begin
to significantly interfere with your driving ability, reading, and
everyday living.
3. Don't let blindness sneak up on you. Perhaps the most important
reason for regular eye exams is glaucoma screening. When pressure
builds behind the eye, damage can occur to the optic nerve, which
can lead to blindness. Since there are no symptoms, an examination
is your only path to early detection. If you have suffered a
significant eye injury at any time during your life, or if you have
blood relatives with glaucoma, you're at higher risk for developing
glaucoma during middle age.
4. As you lead your busy, active life, make sure that your eyes have
the protection they need. Wear impact-resistant sunglasses or safety
glasses that protect your eyes from injury as well as guard against
ultraviolet rays. Wear a wide-brimmed hat while gardening, golfing,
or watching sporting events in the sun. |
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