How to Protect Eyes from Macular Degeneration?

About one-third of people above 75 years old suffers from macular degeneration. It is a common disease among people above 60 years old and a leading cause of total blindness. It is a leading cause of legal blindness in Caucasians above the age of 40.

What is macular degeneration? In this disease, the small central portion of the retina, that is, the macula starts wearing down. The exact cause of this is not known and is mostly blamed on age and lifestyle choices.

There is no cure to reverse the degeneration of the eyes. It can only be slowed down with treatments and medications.

Who is most at risk for macular degeneration?

There are many risk factors that can cause macular degeneration or progress the degeneration of your eyes. Some of these risk factors are -

1. Smoking (both actively or passively)
2. Family History of AMD
3. Female
4. Race like Caucasians
5. Prolonged sun exposure
6. Diet
7. Obesity
8. High BP
9. Eye colour (like blue, green or any other light shades)
10. Inactivity
11. AMD in one eye

Women have more risk of getting AMD. More because of their long life expectancy. They live long enough to go through low vision and many other age-related diseases. Also, Caucasians are more prone to this disease because of genetic factors and pigmentation. Other health conditions like high BP, obesity etc can increase the likelihood of getting AMD.

Lighter eye colours like blue and green lack melanin. Melanin in the eye protects your eyes from harsh sun rays. With the lack of melanin, blue and other rare eye colours are prone to eye diseases like AMD.

Early Symptoms of AMD

The early symptoms are blurriness in some parts of your sight. When you read a book, you see a blurry image in the centre or on the periphery. You see straight lines as wavy or crooked lines. You see objects smaller than their actual size. Bright colours will appear faded to you.

There are no external symptoms in your eyes. The appearance of your eyes remains the same while you suffer some vision distortion.

Get immediate help if you start seeing black curtains or shadows in your vision. Your eyes are red, painful and your vision has gradually gone worse.

How to protect your eyes from getting AMD?

If you tick most of the risk factors, all you could do then is take precautionary measures. Try these methods to prevent AMD or to improve your eye condition.

1. Healthy diet — A healthy diet will keep your eyes and body healthy. This will delay the progress of AMD. Eat fish oils, hemp seeds etc rich in omega-3. Also, take a lot of vitamin A. Ask a nutritionist to make a balanced diet chart for you that is good for your eyes. Getting all the nutrition good for your eyes in the appropriate amount will make your eyes healthy. You can also add a lot of veggies to your diet to improve the health of your eyes. Green leafy vegetables are rich in a lot of vitamins and minerals, all good for your eyes.
2. Quit smoking for good — No good comes from smoking. You might find it cool or good for relieving stress, but all you are doing is harming your body. Smoking relieves you momentary but harms your body.
3. Wear proper eyewear. When stepping outdoors, wear sunglasses that have polarised lenses and provide UV protection. Put hats, cats, or any head covers to protect yourself from the sun.
4. Do yoga, exercises to keep your body active. Doing yoga and meditation can help with stress. When your mind is relaxed, you can control your blood pressure issues well. Exercise regularly.
5. Go for eye tests regularly. Opticians recommend getting eye tests every two years. Include a comprehensive eye test in your schedule to keep track of your overall eye health.
6. Take appropriate breaks in between work. Give rest to your eyes. Do not overstrain your eyes from working on screens for hours.
7. Protect your eyes when working on a computer. Wear blue light glasses to avoid straining your eyes.