As we age, our vision becomes more challenged reading fine print, along with blurred vision, and the possible risk of eye disease. Naturally, our eyes age as we do. However, with proper eye care, exercise and diet, our eye health can improve.
In an interview, Dr. Jessica Chang serves up eye care tips, and how exercise and diet can maintain good vision.
“We all associate the eye with vision, an organ that helps you see your world clearly,” begins Dr. Chang. “When our vision gets blurry, our first thought is that we need eyeglasses to see again. Often, the solution isn’t that simple, and an eye disease could be the cause of our blurry vision. Our eyes are complicated organs with many different parts and tissues. Maintaining good eye health ensures every part of the eye is in good working order so that we can see well for years to come. When you go for your routine eye exam, your eye doctor assesses your vision as well as eye health. A ‘healthy eye’ means everything from the cornea at the front of the eye to the retina at the back of the eye is functioning optimally without any signs of disease.”
For an overall eye care routine, Dr. Chang’s first tip is to get a regular eye exam. Regardless of any vision changes, eye exams are recommended every one to two years as we age to detect eye diseases as early as possible. At early stages of many diseases, your vision could still be very clear, and you may be unaware of any underlying issues.
Her second tip is to use UV protection. “Wear sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat that deters UV rays from entering your eye and the sensitive skin around your eyes,” says Dr. Chang. “Harmful UV rays are strong enough to penetrate into the eye and contribute to the formation of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.”
Tip No. 3 is to eat healthy. “The health of our eyes depends on key nutrients. A diet rich in antioxidants (eg. vitamin A and C), lutein/zeaxanthin, and omega-3 is recommended. Foods such as wild salmon and nuts are a great source of omega 3. Leafy and colourful vegetables, eggs, and citrus fruits are a great way to get your daily intake of antioxidants and lutein,” she says.
When it comes to exercising, it helps to maintain our overall fitness, which helps our eye health and vision. Common diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, can cause an eye disease called retinopathy.
Eye technology is evolving from correcting your vision to a contact lens that can change colour.
“Most people are surprised to learn that there are contact lenses that can correct both distance and near vision all-in-one,” says Dr. Chang. “More recently, there is a contact lens available that can change colour and darken with UV exposure outdoors and lighten to become clear when indoors. I’m most passionate about the exciting new drugs and treatments for dry eye disease. Most cases of dry eye disease stem from issues with the oil glands along our eyelid called the meibomian glands. There are new in-office treatments that target these glands to keep your eyes comfortable and your vision more stable.”
She cautions that eye damage is possible from exposure to an excessive amount of blue light from our devices, such as computers, tablets and mobile phones.
“Blue light is a stronger wavelength emitted from our devices, LED lights, sunlight, and many other sources,” says Dr. Chang. “It’s strong enough to penetrate into the eye and reach the retina; therefore, researchers believe it increases our risk of age-related macular degeneration.”
“Blue light also suppresses the release of melatonin affecting our sleep cycle, if we use our screens just before going to sleep. There are anti-reflective coatings available that block blue light entering through our glasses. It’s also wise to avoid mobile phones and other screens two hours before bed.”
As we age, our risk for certain eye diseases increases. The most common ones include age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. About 65 per cent of all people who are visually impaired are aged 50 and older, while this age group comprises only 20 per cent of the world’s population.
“Monitoring your eye health regularly with your eye doctor is very important,” says Dr. Chang, “because the earlier an eye disease is detected and treated, the better the prognosis and visual outcome.”
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