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 I see dozens
of 40 years olds in my eye surgery
practice every week. Half of them are
interested in having LASIK to throw away
their glasses. The other half are
desperately seeking any miracle cure to
stop their aging parents from going blind.
The over 60-year-old parents are losing
the ability to read, drive or enjoy
watching TV. The grown children
desperately want me to slow down and
prevent the progression of further vision
loss in their parents. Actually, they are
seeking a "cure" for their parents'
problem that is robbing them of their
vision and independence.
Almost always my exam confirms that the
parents have the start of central vision
loss caused by macular degeneration from
aging deterioration.
The treatment for these aging parents is
almost too late. It should have started
when they were 40, like the adult children
who now drive them to my appointments.
Actually, it should be a life-long process
and be as easy as 1-2-3!
As mom always said, "an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure!" Let
me give everyone the three "secrets" to
preventing blindness.
1. The first step involves taking
antioxidants. Vitamin C, E, beta-carotene
and the nutritional supplements of zinc,
selenium and manganese minerals may help.
Diets rich in antioxidants, especially
vegetables and fruits, will protect the
eyes from forming macular degeneration.
This will also benefit the body with
excellent mineral and vitamin intake
including lutein and the B vitamins. Any
reader who starts on the road to a more
healthy diet that includes vegetables,
fruits and food rich in antioxidants may
be preventing blindness.
2. Scientific evidence has proven that
sunlight with ultraviolet "sunburn" rays
is harmful and accelerates macular
degeneration and cataracts. Everyone in
the Sunshine State, especially on the
Suncoast, should wear sunglasses as
sunscreen for your eyes. The sunglasses
should block 100 percent of UVB ("B" is
bad). The lens color, darkness, polarizing
and cost all unrelated factors.
3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you
can eliminate risk factors that accelerate
macular degeneration you can help prevent
blindness. Smoking and alcohol consumption
accelerate macular degeneration and
blindness. Of course, standard
recommendations would be to get exercise,
eight hours of sleep and regular eye
exams.
It seems mother was right. She always
said, "Eat your vegetables. Go outside and
play. Get plenty of sleep."
I know that this may seem simplistic and
that not all minerals and vitamins in all
circumstances are benign. I know that this
three-step program may not always slow or
prevent the progression of macular
degeneration, but it will help. There are
almost 2 million Americans with macular
degeneration from aging, and the three
steps I have recommended will try to
prevent it from becoming 2 million and 1
patients.
So, sometimes preventing blindness depends
on what you eat, how much you sleep, if
you smoke, what you drink and other
lifestyle actions. People often forget
that the eye is connected to the rest of
the body, and that they are their own
guardian of their long-term vision needs.
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