This article is sponsored by Chester County Eye Care Associates.
Taking a few smart steps throughout life can help keep your eyes in good shape. Simple food and lifestyle decisions go a long way, according to an expert at Chester County Eye Care Associates.
Bruce I. Stark, M.D., is a board-certified comprehensive medical and surgical ophthalmologist. While he diagnoses and treats a wide array of eye disorders, he specializes in diabetes and eye emergencies. Dr. Stark notes routine eye exams are an excellent way to maintain the eyes and to spot irregularities.
“How often you see us varies by age,” he explained. “Kids should be screened before age five for a baseline exam and to make sure they don’t have a lazy eye. Until about age 40, an eye exam every few years should suffice. After 40, come in every two to three years, unless there’s a family history of glaucoma, macular degeneration or diabetes. Then, those without cataracts, eye changes or family history can stick with every two years through their 60s. A healthy 70+ with no symptoms should come in annually.”
Here’s why you’ll want to mark your calendar based on your age—routine exams can allow the eye doctor to spy these eye diseases early:
• Diabetic retinopathy: people between 25 and 65 may have excellent vision and still be teetering on a visual cliff. This disease damages the blood vessels in the eye and can lead to leakage of fluids into the center of the eye, which can cause profound visual loss. Dr. Stark says the incidence of diabetes in the United States is around 10 percent and growing, yet most don’t know they even have diabetes.
• Glaucoma: generally appears around age 60, but can turn up earlier for those with a family history. If untreated, visual loss starts in the periphery. If eye pressure remains high for an extended period of time, patients may notice tunnel vision.
• Macular degeneration: Mostly seen in those 70 or older, this vision-stealing condition is due to either abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage in the macula, or macular thinning. Both “wet” and “dry” types impact the retina and can cause decreased distance and near vision.
• High blood pressure: eye doctors can see tiny changes in arteries that can indicate this “silent killer.” Patients generally have no other symptoms.
• High cholesterol: again, many asymptomatic patients are diagnosed when an eye doctor sees tiny fragments of cholesterol within the blood vessels in the eye. This indicates a potential clogged artery or heart valve problem.
“The eye is the only place you can see arteries, veins and nerve tissue,” Dr. Stark added. “It truly is a window into the rest of the body.”
So, what to do? In addition to booking your appointment, you can take very simple, and often tasty, steps toward good eye health. An excellent way to remember, Dr. Stark says, is to understand skin and eyes are very similar. What’s good for one is generally good for the other.
• First, the yummy, just in time for spring and summer (but good frozen options are available year round). Eat the full color spectrum, including dark, leafy greens; antioxidant-rich fruits; and bright vegetables. Their fresh flavors make them easy to eat several times each day. In fact, five to 13 servings each day are recommended, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
• Remember to limit omega-6 and up the omega-3. Diets that tend toward refined vegetable oils, processed snack foods and sweets generally skew toward too much omega-6, the more inflammatory fatty acid. By contrast, the eye-healthy omega-3 can be found in delicious cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod and bluefish, or vegan-friendly chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts. [More recipes here.]
• Limit saturated fats and carbs. How? See above!
• Fill in the gaps with supplements including mixed beta-carotene, lutein, omega-3, zinc, selenium and vitamins C and E. (However, if you are a current smoker or stopped less than 20 years ago, you should avoid beta carotene since it has been shown to increase the possibility of lung cancer.)
• Wear sunglasses that offer UVA and UVB protection; if you can rock the wrap-around shades, all the better. Skin cancers on the lids are common, and excessive UV exposure has been connected to cataracts.
• Use artificial “tears” to keep eyes moist.
• Keep an eye on good general health: exercise regularly, don’t smoke, and monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Chester County Eye Care Associates is located at 915 Old Fern Hill Rd., Building B-Suite 200, in West Chester. For information and appointments, call (610) 696-1230. More information is available here. Follow the associates on Facebook too.
Local farmers’ markets are great opportunities to stock up on good-for-your-eyes produce, including Artisan Exchange, Kennett Square Farmers Market and West Chester Growers Market.
Bruce I. Stark, M.D., is a board-certified comprehensive medical and surgical ophthalmologist. He diagnoses and treats numerous eye disorders and performs selected oculoplastic surgeries such as blepharoplasty (cosmetic and functional), chalazion excision, and repair of lid malpositions and removal of lid lesions. He has used lasers to treat diabetic retinopathy, retinal tears, and glaucoma for more than 25 years. Dr. Stark, a diabetic specialist, is a founding member of the Chester and Delaware County and Main Line Chapters of the American Diabetic Association. He utilizes highly sophisticated equipment at Chester County Eye Care for the early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and other eye diseases. Dr. Stark is a board-certified ophthalmologist who provides the complete spectrum of eye services and specializes in the treatment of eye emergencies.
Outdoor photo and veggie photos credit: Nina Lea Photography. Remaining images courtesy of Chester County Eye Care Associates.
