COVID-19 Policy/Procedures – please click here to see our latest news with the ongoing situation.

alarm-ringing ambulance angle2 archive arrow-down arrow-left arrow-right arrow-up at-sign baby baby2 bag binoculars book-open book2 bookmark2 bubble calendar-check calendar-empty camera2 cart chart-growth check chevron-down chevron-left chevron-right chevron-up circle-minus circle city clapboard-play clipboard-empty clipboard-text clock clock2 cloud-download cloud-windy cloud clubs cog cross crown cube youtube diamond4 diamonds drop-crossed drop2 earth ellipsis envelope-open envelope exclamation eye-dropper eye facebook file-empty fire flag2 flare foursquare gift glasses google graph hammer-wrench heart-pulse heart home instagram joystick lamp layers lifebuoy link linkedin list lock magic-wand map-marker map medal-empty menu microscope minus moon mustache-glasses paper-plane paperclip papers pen pencil pie-chart pinterest plus-circle plus power printer pushpin question rain reading receipt recycle reminder sad shield-check smartphone smile soccer spades speed-medium spotlights star-empty star-half star store sun-glasses sun tag telephone thumbs-down thumbs-up tree tumblr twitter tiktok wechat user users wheelchair write yelp youtube

Macular Degeneration and Your Diet

February Eye Focus: Age-Related Macular Degeneration

mc animation

Age-Related Macular Degeneration is the most common eye disease affecting people over age 50, and it is unfortunately irreversible. Some common symptoms include a gradual loss of ability to see objects clearly, distorted vision, a gradual loss of color vision, and a dark or empty area appearing in the center of vision.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1.8 million people have AMD and another 7.3 million are at substantial risk for vision loss from AMD.

Fortunately, how we treat our bodies over a lifetime can affect us in many ways. We’ve known for a while that carrots are popular eye health foods – but did you know that many other nutrient-dense foods can help maintain optimal eye health? The Mayo Clinic suggests these foods to be added to your shopping cart: kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, fish, beef, pork and lamb. What makes these foods noteworthy is their high content of antioxidants (lutein) and zinc.

Smoking is another risk factor for AMD. Please stop smoking. Your body (and your family and friends) will thank you.

And finally, of course, keep up with your regular eye health exams. Dilation is key here – a dilated eye exam can identify macular degeneration in early stages. And while managing your care, your eye doctor can help prolong and preserve optimal vision.

 

Information taken from the American Optometric Association

Animation credit