Eyes Need More Than Sunglasses

If you had a choice between loosing your sight and preserving good eye sight which would you choose? This sounds like a redundant question. But people make the choice to lose their sight everyday. That is true! How and why would a person loose their sight? Now the process of loosing your sight is a gradual process that makes itself known in old age. This does not have to be a given outcome or negative of growing old. Losing a person's vision is highly preventable and takes no extra effort to maintain good eye sight for a life time.

Back to the question. Think about the following life style experiences that contribute to loss of sight...

• over 1 million people loose their vision after the age 65 to age related muscular degeneration or AMD
• diabetes is a leading cause of vision loss
• inadequate or no consumption of omega-3 fatty acids
• Low or no consumption of brightly colored and leafy green fruits and vegetables
• too much exposure to direct sunlight without sunglasses
• smoking, untreated high blood pressure, and other stressors on eye health

People may jokingly tease those who choose to eat fresh salads or fruits on a regular basis. They are fortifying their bodies with nutrients needed for the eyes and other organs. Eating fish and other foods high in omega-3 feeds the eyes in many beneficial ways. You see, the eyes are primarily DHA which is a type of omega-3.

DHA is essential to good eye health. It improves the brain and retinal nerve cell communication. A diet high in omega-3 can reduce toxins which cause inflammation of the eyes.

DHA manages the build up of blood in eye vessels. Blindness is the most likely result when the blood vessels rupture. The ruptured vessels block light from entering the retina which needs the light to produce sight. The light stimulates the retina to produce impulses which the brain receives and interprets as sight.

Wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes from UVB and UVA rays is only a portion of the efforts needed to protect and preserve eye sight.

Scientists found diets high in omega-3 help maintain and restore the retina. The retina is a layer of nerve cells in the back of the eye. This is the part of the eye where the lens and the cornea focus beams of light into the retina. Inside the retina are cells for color vision and cells for black and white vision. The two types of cells combine and make electrical impulse light images on the brain. The brain interprets the impulses as visoin.

Just as sunglasses are not sufficient protection for preserving sight, DHA also needs help protecting eye sight. Eating brightly colored fruits and vegetables helps bring the nutritional needs of the eyes into focus.

It is the pigments of the fruits that indicate their place in eye health. For example carrots contain carotene. The orange color of carrot skins reflects its high carotene content. as do most other food source colors.

The antioxidants reduce free radicals that are concentrated in the retina's macula. The macula contains cartoenold or zeaxanthin. Bell pepper,paprika, corn, saffron and other yellow colored plant foods are sources of zeaxanthin. A diet balanced with zeaxanthin and carotenoid lutein ensure preserving of eye sight for a life time.

The health of eyes is a matter of eating a balanced diet that contains omega-3 and an array of bright and dark fruits and vegetables. These simple life style practices help nourish and protect the eyes.

Although the eyes are one of the most complex organs in the body, they help maintain a quality of life that may be experienced for an entire life time. That is dependent on the care we take to eat those foods which contribute to our overall health. And if for some reason a person is not able to eat the natural foods needed for good eye health, nutritional supplements are the next best thing.

The next time someone says to you,I don't eat fruits and vegetables," gently remind them if they want to have clear vision when they are in their old age, find a way to get those fruits and vegetables in their body. And don't forget the omega-3s.