It might seem that it's a broken record playing the same stanza over and over again, but in all areas of medicine, including keeping healthy vision and eyes, the mantra is to eat sensibly, exercise, and live a healthy lifestyle.
Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center ophthalmologist Dr. David Morimoto says that although there are specific things we can do to keep our eyes in tip-top shape, keeping our bodies in shape is key. After all, our eyes benefit from good nutrition and healthy living, just as our hearts and other organs do.
'Eat your green leafy vegetables and your fruits,' Morimoto said, 'don't smoke, and take care of any underlying conditions you may have, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.'
When you think about how important your vision is in your everyday life, you want to take care of it and have it get you through without problems, he said.
But even if you're taking meticulous care of yourself, don't forget to make those appointments to your eye-care professional. Some eye diseases will sneak up on you with no symptoms until it is too late.
Fifty percent of people with glaucoma don't even know they have it, he said. There are no symptoms at the beginning, and people with glaucoma can have normal vision, but they are at risk for loss of vision if it's not caught by an eye doctor.
'Glaucoma is a preventable cause of blindness,' Morimoto said. 'Many go undiagnosed just because they haven't seen their eye doctor. Prevention goes a long way.'
Morimoto added that just attending a quick glaucoma screening isn't enough. Getting a green light from one of these screenings doesn't mean you're in the clear. Some of those screenings only look for increased pressure in the eyes, and glaucoma doesn't always manifest itself with high intraocular pressure.
Get a complete screening by your eye doctor instead, he says.
Morimoto also offered advice on how to prevent several common eye maladies.
Red Eyes
Most of us get the red eye now and then, staying up late for fun or work, spending too much time outside in the wind and sun, or just overusing our eyes. Be careful with red-eye remedies, though, Morimoto warns.
Some of the over-the-counter eye drops used to treat red eyes can have a rather large rebound effect. They act by constricting the small blood vessels in the eyes, making them less red, but if the drops are used for too long the vessels adapt to the chemicals and the drops lose their effect.
Then, when the drops are discontinued, the rebound effect can cause the vessels to dilate even more than they were in the beginning, and the eyes can turn even redder.
Use them if you like, he said, but only for a short period of time. If your eyes are chronically red, see your doctor.
Yard Work
Morimoto sees a lot of patients who have hurt their eyes from doing yard work. Gardening, believe it or not, can be a particular hazard for the eyes, as weeds yanked out of the ground can send bits of dirt flying right at the face. Branches can scratch the eyes, too.
'We see that quite often,' Morimoto said of gardening injuries. He recommends wearing sunglasses when gardening.
Mowing the lawn, weed-wacking, and leaf-blowing can put your eyes at risk, too, with all of the small pieces of debris blowing about. Don't forget to protect your eyes when doing any kind of work like this outside, he advised.
Sports
Sports injuries involving balls the size of tennis balls, racquet balls, and baseballs occur frequently, too.
'This is a very, very common cause of vision loss,' Morimoto said, 'especially in young males. Safety glasses are extremely important in these sports.'
It's the small size of the balls in these sports, he said, that can get right in there and damage the eye.
Firecrackers
A lot has been said about being careful around fireworks.
'Fourth of July fireworks' injuries are still very common and very preventable,' Morimoto said. 'Please be careful when you're around them.'
The ophthalmologist said he's seen way too many injuries from people 'looking down the wrong end of a pop bottle rocket.'
Eye Infections
Wash your hands and keep them away from your eyes, is the common-sense advice Morimoto has for those wanting to avoid eye infections, which can be mild or brutal.
It's especially important for contact lens wearers to heed this advice. Many infections associated with wearing contacts can be avoided, he said, by keeping things clean. Stick with the regimen given to you by your eye doctor. Empty the solution out of your case every morning and let it air dry throughout the day.
Put in fresh, clean solution each night to soak the lenses, and get new cases frequently.
UV Rays
Believe it or not, your eyelids can get skin cancer from a lifetime of sun exposure. Wear sunglasses or a wide-brimmed hat to keep the UV rays off your eyes.
Eye Strain
'It's kind of what your grandmother told you,' Morimoto said. 'Make sure you have good lighting when you read or work up close. And make sure there is no glare or reflection off your computer screen.'
Sties
These are like pimples on the eyelid, he said. Getting them has a lot to do with your body composition. They seem to be more common in individuals with rosacea. Hot compresses applied with a clean washcloth can relieve them somewhat, but if they're common there are oral medications a doctor can prescribe.
Special Ocular Vitamins
It can't hurt to take a multi-vitamin for good health in general, Morimoto said, but the jury's still out on some popular vitamins and vitamin combinations that some claim can help with such serious eye diseases such as macular degeneration.
A few years ago, he said, a study was released that found a small benefit in taking high doses of beta-carotene with vitamins C and E and zinc. But these advantages were seen only in those already diagnosed with macular degeneration, and it helped just a small percentage of them.
'It's not a cure-all,' he said, 'and any vitamin in excess can have side effects.'
Other studies are being conducted involving lutein, but Morimoto said he's just not sure the evidence is there for this compound yet, either.
Eye Exercises
Morimoto had very definite advice on the rather expensive eye exercises that are being sold to consumers that claim to improve vision.
'I would save your money,' he said.
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