Did you know that the eyes are the mirror of your health? Yes, indeed. Our eyes can actually tell us a lot of different things about our entire body. Thus, we will present you with a list of them.
What Can Our Eyes Tell Us About Our Health?
Let’s look at some of these symptoms and see what they tell us about our health.
Sudden Double Vision, Dim Vision, or Loss of Vision
These are all signs which might indicate that a stroke is coming.
Eyes That Seem to Bulge
The most common sign of these types of eyes is hyperthyroidism. This is over-activity of the thyroid gland.
Whites of the Eye That Turned Yellowish
This is also known as jaundice. It can appear in newborns with immature liver function, or adults who have problems with the liver, gallbladder or bile ducts.
Small Blind Spot in Your Vision, With Shimmering Lights or a Wavy Line
A migraine aura produces this disturbed vision. It may or may not come together with a headache.
Burning Eyes, Blurry Vision While Using a Computer
This actually comes as a result of the ‘computer vision syndrome’ (CVS). The eyestrain is caused by lack of contrast on a computer screen and the extra work involved in focusing on pixels.
A Stye that Won’t Go Away
If the stye does not clear up in three months, or it keeps happening in the same location, it might mean that you have a rare cancer called sebaceous gland carcinoma.
Disappearing Eyebrows
When the third of your eyebrow starts to disappear by itself, then it might mean that you have hypothyroidism.
Blurred Vision in a Diabetic
The most common eye problem in diabetics, who are actually at increased risk of eye problems, is retinopathy. In this case, diabetes, affects the circulatory system of the eye.
You have to bear in mind that you eyesight is a very precious sense. Nevertheless, we usually take it for granted, until it starts deteriorating. The greatest cause for blindness in American adults is diabetes. This is very concerning because 1 in 4 Americans area actually diabetic. What adds to this problem is the increased use of computers and display terminals at home, due to the eye strain.
Is Poor Vision Inevitable as You Age?
Actually, it is not. However, we have to be careful because modern lifestyles can contribute to poor vision. However, you can take many actions which will help you support the eye health. A lot of studies have shown that people over the age of 60 may need even more support, especially in the form of nutritional supplements. Also, additional support might be needed if:
- You spend a lot of time staring at a computer
- You are diabetic
- You are obese
- You smoke
Thus, we will review some strategies now which will help you with the protection of your vision.
Natural, Common-Sense Strategies to Help Protect Healthy Vision
Before we talk about the nutritional factors which benefit your eyes, let us look at some lifestyle basics which you should incorporate to improve your vision. Some of those are:
1. Avoid Aspartame
You can have vision problems if you go through aspartame poisoning, thus avoid it as much as you can.
2. Avoid Trans Fats
What contributes to macular degeneration is a diet high in trans-fat which interferes with omega-3 fats in your body. You can find this trans-fat in many foods and baked goods, like margarine, shortening, fried foods like chicken, French fries, also doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers.
3. Get Plenty of Healthy Omega-3 Fat
If you consume omega-3 fatty acids, it will protect your vision. Unfortunately, fish is no longer an ideal source of omega-3 fats due to widespread pollution.
4. Eat Plenty of Fresh Dark Green Leafy Vegetables, Especially Kale
A lot of studies have shown that if you eat green veggies it will be good for the eye health. Those vegetables which have the highest levels of lutein and zeaxantin and are carotenoid-rich are the best for vision health.
5. Normalize Your Blood Sugar
A lot of sugar in your blood can pull fluid from the lens of the eyes and your ability to focus. It can also obstruct the blood vessels in the retina by obstructing blood flow.
6. Care for Your Cardiovascular System
What causes damage to the miniscule blood vessels on your retina is the high blood pressure. It can obstruct the free blood flow. One of the main ways to maintain the optimal blood pressure would be to avoid fructose. If you consume more than 74 grams a day of fructose (that is 2.5 sugary drinks) it means that you will increase the risk of having blood pressure levels of 160/100 mmHg by 77%.
7. Quit Smoking
Smoking actually increases the radical production in the body, thus putting you at risk for less-than optimal health in many ways, including decreased vision.
Antioxidants- Your Greatest Allies for Healthy Eyes
What an antioxidant does is neutralize dangerous free radicals in your body, including the eyes. Some of those antioxidants which might help are:
- Astaxanthin
- Black currant anthocyannis
- Zeaxanthin
- Lutein
Therefore, we will talk more about the luctein and astaxanthin which can help eye problems.
Lutein Helps Protect Your Central Vision
The lutein and zeaxhanthin are found in the macula lutea in high concentrations and they have two main roles:
- To absorb excess photon energy
- To quench free radicals before they damage the lipid membranes
The highest concentration of lutein in your eyes is actually in the macula. The macula is the tiny central part of the retina, which is responsible for the straight-ahead and the detailed vision. Lutein, more precisely, is found in the macular pigment and it is known for helping protect central vision.
You can find lutein in green leafy vegetables and yellow and orange fruits and vegetables.
Lutein Content of Foods
Astaxanthin—Powerful Protection Against Two Leading Forms of Blindness
Science has discovered that astaxanthin is the ultimate carotenoid for the eye health among all of these other antioxidants. This means that it can even prevent blindness. It is more powerful than both lutein and zaexanthin and it can offer a lot of benefits with eye-related problems like:
- Inflammatory eye diseases (retinitis, iritis, keratitis, and scleritis)
- Cystoid macular edema
- Venous occlutsion
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)
- Cataracts
Anstaxanthin can also help in maintaining eye pressure levels that are within normal range. It can also support our eyes’ energy levels and visual acuity.
It is very clear that the three leading causes of blindness in the USA are macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. This is why this antioxidant is very important.
The best source of emega-3 fat and astaxanthin is the krill oil, however there are other products on the market which can help with eye health. Therefore, if you want to try this antioxidant try it with 2 to 4 mg per day. If you are on a krill oil supplement, bear in mind that krill products have different concentrations of astaxanthin, thus, check the label.
From everything said, please bear in mind that we are nowadays exposed to more levels of oxidation than ever before. Also, as we get older our bodies lose the ability to produce the high levels of antioxidants needed, which means that our organs can get polluted by different types of food, household chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs, and high levels of stress.
Hence, try to protect your eyes from these different types of ailments, and diseases like macular degeneration and try using more antioxidants like astaxanthin to reach the inner eye and protect it from the numbers of radicals that come with age. Your eyes will be thankful!
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