Winter 2006	Keep Your Vision Sharp
7 things you can do to protect your eyesight 1. Don’t smoke. 2. Wear sunglasses with UV protection. 3. Eat lots of dark green, leafy vegetables. 4. Ask your doctor about taking vitamins E and C, beta-carotene and zinc supplements. 5. Control high blood pressure. 6. If you have diabetes, eat right, exercise, see your doctor regularly and take your diabetes medication as prescribed. 7. Get regular eye exams.   For more information about vision care, log on to My Health eVet at www.myhealth.va.gov. Take your eyesight for granted? It’s easy to do. Yet the day will come when focusing on the printed word will be a challenge. Most vision problems are easily corrected, but for more serious disorders, regular checkups can ensure early detection and timely treatment. Eye exams aren’t just for people who wear glasses. By age 40, everyone should have had their eyes checked at least once. An exam is advisable every two to four years between ages 40 and 64, although people with special conditions, such as diabetes, may need more frequent visits. Those ages 65 and older should have a checkup every one to two years. By age 65, one in three Americans has a vision-impairing eye disease. In addition to getting routine screenings, seek treatment for symptoms such as blurred vision or flashes of light as they arise. Age-related problems like excessive tearing, dry eyes, nearsightedness and floaters (tiny specks that float across your field of vision) are usually harmless but should be checked out anyway. Stay focused on your eye health to prevent vision loss from the following: Glaucoma occurs when the normal flow of watery fluid between the cornea and the lens is blocked, causing pressure inside the eye. It usually occurs in both eyes. Medication, eye drops and laser surgery are common treatments. Cataracts are cloudy areas on the lens caused by protein clumps that block light from passing through to the retina. Small cataracts that don’t grow may not affect vision, but they sometimes require outpatient surgery. Age-related macular degeneration occurs when light-sensing cells in the macula, the central part of the retina, break down, often causing an irreversible loss of central vision. Medication, vision rehabilitation and laser surgery can help slow vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy develops when chronic high bloodsugar levels damage vessels that feed the retina, resulting in blurred vision and, in advanced cases, blindness. Laser surgery treatment can stop or slow diabetic retinopathy that’s detected early.
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