Adapting healthy habits such as eating the right foods or exercising can prevent common eye conditions such as glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. According to George Town EDU, 20 million Americans have vision impairments. Changing your lifestyle can lead to long-term benefits that can help prevent you from developing a common eye condition.

Foods with key nutrients for your diet

As you plan out your meals for the week it is important to include key vitamins and minerals. Foods that include nutrients vital for your daily intake can lead to a better immune system and decrease the risk of vision disorders. The following is a list of foods to consider:

1. Vitamin A: Tomatoes, red bell peppers, cantaloupe, eggs beef, lamb, liver sausage salmon, sweetpotatoes, pumpkin, leafy green vegetables, squash
2. Vitamin C: Asparagus, citrus, strawberries, guavas, parsley, kale, kiwi, mustard spinach, broccoli, oranges, grapefruit
3. Vitamin E: Peanuts, beet greens, collard greens, spinach, pumpkin, almonds, sunflower seeds, hazel nuts, pine nuts, avocado, mango, turnip greens, octopus, lobster
4. Lutein: Romaine lettuce, corn, eggs, pistachios, green peas, brussel sprouts, carrots, collards, arugula, spinach, pumpkin, broccoli
5. Zinc: Red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, seeds, crab, fish, shiitake mushrooms, oysters, oats, tofu, chickpeas, yogurt

Too often people gravitate towards a sugary drink or dessert with a high sugar content. Making this a habit can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease that can cause diabetic retinopathy. By making simple dietary adjustments, you can set yourself up to maintain healthy vision.

Activities that help with hand-eye coordination

Eye health can be managed by being active a few times a week. Whether you are working out in your house or at the park, spending at least 30 minutes doing cardio will help to stimulate the brain and improve hand-eye coordination. Here are a few ways you can exercise to get your eyes stimulated:

1. Running. Turn on your music and sprint to your hearts content. Performing this exercise will help mitigate risk of aged-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma. As you hum to your favorite tune, eye-disease fighting antioxidants are released.
2. Tennis. As you go back and forth with your opponent your eyes are constantly having to adjust to note the different points the ball lands. This activity helps to increase your blood pressure and ensure your retinal function is in the best shape.
3. Golf. Being able to accurately judge the distance from the ball to the flag requires great depth perception. To achieve some yards, it is imperative you have excellent hand-eye coordination. 
4. Fencing. This highly technical sport requires sharp visual perception and visual acuity that can quickly pinpoint where the opponent is attempting to land their sword. 
5. Cycling. If you peddle for one hour a day this can cause an influx of enzymes that specialize in preventing eye infections and inflammation. 

To maintain a healthy mind, you must implement healthy habits. If you are experiencing vision discrepancies, Contact our office and request an appointment at one of our locations. Call 516-785-3900 (Wantagh office) or 516-541-4141 (Massapequa office) to schedule an appointment. Our ophthalmologists will talk with you about your vision complications and the best options for you.

Source: Health Harvard