How to take care of your eyes as you get older
Cataracts, loss of vision – those are threats to your vision that increase with age. That’s why eye doctors say eating leafy greens, wearing sunglasses, and taking care of your overall health can keep your eyes aging well.
For those of you outdoors, make sure you go outside with sunglasses on. Your eyes will thank you for protecting them from the sun, when you’re in your sunset years.
It’s good to also wear a hat. And does more expensive mean better protection when it comes to sunglasses?
“When it comes to UV protection, even the cheapest does protect enough ultraviolet. It’s not that the good brands do better. The good brands have less distortion and glare in their vision,” Machida said.
Grant Nakamoto, 65, says he didn’t always wear sunglasses, but he listened when doctors told him to.
“I get tinted glasses, prescription sunglasses. I used to wear tinted goggles when surfing in the water. They were saying that’s really bad, when you’re surfing and get all that reflective light,” Nakamoto said.
Machida also says eating foods with lutien helps prevent macular degeneration.
“Make sure you eat your leafy green vegetables. Kale is the best one. Lutien is found very much in kale. Spinach is in second place,” he advised.
You can also take a genetic test to see if you have the macular degeneration gene. And lastly, Machida’s advice for healthy eyes is something that could also be said for one’s overall health.
“Stay out of the sun. Don’t smoke. If you’re around secondhand smoke that is no good either,” he cautioned.