Staying Active Helps Vision Health

What are some of the things we can do to keep our eyes healthy? Eat carrots? Wear sunglasses?

While carrots do provide good nutrients for our eyes and we definitely recommend wearing sunglasses any time you’re in the sun during the brightest hours of the day, no matter what time of year it is, another excellent way to keep our eyes healthy is by staying active!

Healthy Eyes Versus a Sedentary Lifestyle

A lifestyle that doesn’t include much physical activity can put us at a much greater risk of vision loss as we age. That’s because many sight-threatening conditions are exacerbated by chronic health problems like heart conditions, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes in particular is one of the biggest risk factors for macular edema, retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts.

Nutrition and Exercise Minimize Risk Factors

When we eat healthy and get regular exercise, we not only feel better in general — we’re taking the best preventative measures against sight-threatening conditions. Getting some exercise at least three times a week can lower the risk of developing wet age-related macular degeneration by as much as 70%, while reducing the risk of glaucoma by 25% at the same time!

Not a Fan of the Gym? No Problem!

If the idea of going to the gym is a big deterrent to you, don’t worry. The gym doesn’t have a monopoly on healthy activity. Simply going on regular walks, doing home calisthenics, or joining a local sports club would also be great ways to become more active. Or maybe you could consider signing up for martial arts classes, yoga, or pilates. Finding something you enjoy is important, because that will make it easier to stick with it, and regularity is key!

Don’t Forget About Eye Exams

Eating healthy and staying active are great for overall health and keeping your eyes healthy, but they aren’t an excuse to skip your regular eye exams. Prescriptions still change over time, and it’s always important to catch symptoms of a chronic condition as early as possible. We’d love to hear about what you’re doing to stay active the next time we see you!

We appreciate every member of our practice family, especially our patients!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.