Simple Ways to Reduce Your Risk for Cataracts and Save Your Sight

By the age of 75, over 50 percent of Americans will develop cataracts. The percentage jumps to 70 percent for those individuals after the age of 75.

If your vision has gradually gone from clear to cloudy, it's very likely you have a cataract. A cataract develops slowly over the years causing blurry vision and then turning the colors you see very dull. Some other signs of a cataract are sensitivity to light, double vision and the lens of your eye becoming yellow or milky white. If cataracts are left untreated, you will eventually go blind.

Similar to keeping your body healthy, you should practice good eye health to prevent developing cataracts and keeping your vision clear. Make sure you are putting the right things into your body and avoiding the harmful things.

1. Vitamin A: Make sure you are getting plenty of vitamin A in your diet. Vitamin A is vital in keeping the surface of the eye strong and healthy. The surface of the eye is essential in keeping bacteria and viruses away. Many meats and dairy products contain vitamin A, but another great source is bright yellow and orange fruits and vegetables. These include: carrots, apricots, and sweet potatoes. All of these foods contact beta carotene which the body converts into vitamin A. Some leafy green vegetables to incorporate in your diet are: spinach and collard greens which contain luetein and zeaxanthin which also convert into vitamin A.

2. Vitamin B: Vitamin B is important in keeping your body’s tissues in good shape. Your arms and legs aren’t the only places that have muscles. Your eyes have muscles and keeping them in shape is very important. Tuna, whole wheat bread, potatoes and mushrooms are loaded with vitamin B. Many cereals are also fortified that will give you niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin which are essential B vitamins.

3. Vitamin C: No one should be surprised at the crucial role vitamin C plays in the health of your eyes. This vitamin plays an important role in protecting your eyes from free radicals such as pollution and damage from the sun. Foods such as oranges, tangerines, lemons, strawberries, cantaloupe, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet red peppers and sweet potatoes are rich sources of the vitamin C.

4. Vitamin E: This vitamin can cut your risk of getting cataracts in half; it's found in such foods as wheat germ, sunflower seeds, nuts, whole grains and brown rice.

Along with making sure you are getting enough of the good stuff, make sure to avoid salt, alcohol, fat, and smoking. A diet that's high it salt could mean a higher risk of developing cataracts, not to mention heart disease and high blood pressure. Try to use other spices to flavor your food such as turmeric. This spice has actually been shown to fight off cataracts.

Too much fat and alcohol also increase your risk of getting cataracts and should be limited and, if at all possible, avoided. It is also essential that you quit smoking as this is also proven to increase your risk of developing cataracts.

Some things that can’t be avoided are family history and diabetes. That is why it's extremely important for you to make yearly appointments with your eye doctor to make sure you are staying on top of your eye health and identifying problems such as cataracts early on. Check out our vision care review page to research seven vision care sites that can help you find an eye doctor and get connected with vision insurance. Don’t let another day slip by without making sure your eyes are healthy.

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