For Your Eyes Only | Health Eyes Tips | Tips For Eyes Care

Mankind rates vision as the most important faculty of their life. And, yet, we take our ability to see for granted, assuming that it will function correctly throughout our life.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Children even at young age groups need glasses, while 25 per cent of us at the age of 65 or older will have lost part of our vision due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and by age 75, at least half our vision will be dimmed by cataracts.
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Perhaps all you need are a handful of eyesight-preserving nutrients, eat foods that promote healthy eyes and avoid some types of eye diseases or chronic eye conditions :

Daily multivitamin; 500 milligrams of vitamin C; 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E; 15 milligrams of beta carotene; 80 milligrams of zinc; 2 milligrams of copper; B complex supplement with 400 micrograms of folic acid and 2500 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids.

Antioxidants lead the pack when it comes to protecting keen eyesight. It would seem ironical that while light is essential for vision, long-term exposure to sunlight can damage the eyes.

Antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and the carotenoids protect the eyes from this unavoidable exposure to sunlight-related free radicals.
1 Lutein & Zeaxanthin work because they perform the role of sunglass filters to protect the retina.

Recommended: 10 mg per day. Lutein is one of more than 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids [pre-cursor to vitamin A]. Carotenoids give carrots their orange colour.

One can find them in many red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, as well as in green, leafy vegetables (a great source of the carotenoid lutein). Nuts, legumes, sweet corn, peas, and broccoli also contain large amounts of lutein.

Lutein was found to be present in a concentrated area of the macula, a small area of the retina responsible for central vision.

Lutein helps protect the eyes from oxidative stress and high-energy light. Vitamin A, vital for healthy vision, is found in orange and yellow vegetables such as carrots and squash.

Lycopene, a different type of carotenoid found in tomatoes also helps strengthening of the eye defences. Lutein supplements have been available since 1995 ; commercially, it is extracted from marigold flower petals.

Blue-eyed individuals need more lutein and zeaxanthin because they have less of these protective pigments in their retinas.

This nutrient is found in dark, green, leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, spinach and collards, and also corn and eggs.

2 DHA/EPA
Recommended: 500 mg per day. EPA/DHA is an essential fatty acid which play a very important role in the function of our bodies, and seem to be necessary for healthy eye function. These polyunsaturated fats, also known as omega 3 fatty acids.

These essential fatty acids are found in flax seeds, walnuts and fleshy fish such as tuna or salmon.

3 Vitamin C
Recommended: 500 mg per day. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development. Studies suggest that high levels of vitamin C can reduce the risk of cataracts and also play a role in delaying age-related macular degeneration.

This vitamin is found in our favourite morning beverage - orange juice. Other citrus fruits are also a good source of
Vitamin C.
4 Vitamin E
Recommended: 400mg per day. Vitamin E is the collective name for a set of 8 fat-soluble vitamins with antioxidant properties.

Some studies suggest that Vitamin E helps to prevent cataracts, and it might be another factor in delaying macular degeneration.

Vitamin E is found in nuts, salads, peanut butter, cereals, sweet potatoes and margarine.
5 Copper
Recommended: 2 mg per day. Copper is a trace nutrient essential to all high plants and animals. It can act as an antioxidant, scavenging damaging particles in the body known as free radicals.

Free radicals may contribute to the ageing process as well as the development of a number of health conditions.
Copper is found in mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, liver, beans and lentils.
6 Zinc
Recommended: 40-80 mg per day. Zinc is an essential mineral found in almost every cell in the body. Zinc is important for a healthy immune system, for healing cuts and wounds, and for maintaining the senses of taste and smell.

Red meat and poultry contain a good level of zinc. Zinc can also be found in oysters, fortified cereals, nuts and baked beans.

7 Moderate Sodium Intake
High sodium intake may add to your risk of cataract formation. Use less salt and look for sodium content on the labels of canned and packaged foods. Stay below 2,000 mg of sodium each day. Choose fresh and frozen foods whenever possible.

8 Stay hydrated
Round out a healthy diet with low-fat dairy products such as skim or 1 percent milk for calcium, and healthy beverages such as 100 per cent vegetable juices, fruit juices, non-caffeinated herbal teas and water. Proper hydration also may reduce irritation from dry eyes.

Source: http://www.newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?id=21087%20&%20section=17

Posted in: health news,World Health News