How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

Don't take your eyes for granted. Take these easy steps to keep your peepers healthy.

1. Eat Well

Good eye health starts with the food on your plate. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E might help ward off age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataracts. To get them, fill your plate with:

• Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collards
• Salmon, tuna, and other oily fish
• Eggs, nuts, beans, and other nonmeat protein sources
• Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices
• Oysters and pork

A well-balanced diet also helps you stay at a healthy weight. That lowers your odds of obesity and related diseases like type 2 diabetes, which is the leading cause of blindness in adults.

2. Quit Smoking

It makes you more likely to get cataracts, damage to your optic nerve, and macular degeneration. If you've tried to kick the habit  before only to start again, keep at it. The more times you try to quit, the more likely you are to succeed. Ask your doctor for help.

3. Wear Sunglasses

The right pair of shades will help protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. Too much UV exposure boosts your chances of cataracts and macular degeneration.

Choose a pair that blocks 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound lenses help protect your eyes from the side. Polarized lenses reduce glare while you drive.

4. Use Safety Eyewear

If you use hazardous or airborne materials on the job or at home, wear safety glasses or protective goggles.

Sports like ice hockey, racquetball, and lacrosse can also lead to eye injury. Wear eye protection. Helmets with protective face masks or sports goggles with polycarbonate lenses will shield your eyes.

5. Look Away From the Computer Screen

Staring at a computer or phone screen for too long can cause:

• Eyestrain
• Blurry vision
• Trouble focusing at a distance
• Dry eyes
• Headaches
• Neck, back, and shoulder pain

To protect your eyes:

• Make sure your glasses or contacts prescription is up to date and good for looking at a computer screen.
• If your eye strain won’t go away, talk to your doctor about computer glasses.
• Move the screen so your eyes are level with the top of the monitor. That lets you look slightly down at the screen.
• Try to avoid glare from windows and lights. Use an anti-glare screen if needed.
• Choose a comfortable, supportive chair. Position it so that your feet are flat on the floor.
• If your eyes are dry, blink more.

Rest your eyes every 20 minutes. Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get up at least every 2 hours and take a 15-minute break.

5 Highly Effective Solutions to prevent Acne for Adult

Eat fewer refined carbs. 
"Eating chocolate or a lot of junk food doesn't by itself seem to cause acne, but not having a balanced diet and eating too many refined carbs can cause problems," says Albert Lefkovits, MD, director of the Park Avenue Center for Advanced Medical and Cosmetic Dermatology in New York City. In a 2007 study, Australian researchers found that people who followed a low-glycemic index (GI) diet (which is low in refined carbohydrates like those found in white bread) had a 22% decrease in acne lesions, compared with a control group that ate more high-GI foods. Scientists suspect that raised insulin levels from the carbs may trigger a release of hormones that inflame follicles and increase oil production

Try blue light therapy.
These powerful rays penetrate follicles to kill off acne-causing bacteria. For severe cases, photodynamic therapy adds a topical solution called Levulan to blue light therapy. Note that these treatments can cause temporary redness and may not be covered by insurance.

Ask your derm about Aldactone.
Long used to treat high blood pressure, prescription Aldactone (spironolactone) is now getting a second life as a treatment for hormonal acne. The drug (a tablet taken orally) blocks receptors of the hormone androgen, helping to limit the testosterone surges that can prompt pimples.

Pick up tea tree oil.
Less irritating than its chemical cousin benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil has a long history of fighting mild to moderate acne outbreaks. The oil, which comes from the leaves of a tree native to Australia, has antiseptic properties that help reduce acne-causing bacteria on the skin and quell inflammation in skin cells. "We've seen it work against a wide range of organisms, including 27 of the 32 strains of acne-causing bacteria," says Murray. (Tea tree oil has even been shown to help fight yeast infections.) Multiple studies, including a review in the International Journal of Dermatology, back the plant's power. You can find tea tree oil in a wide variety of soaps, skin washes, and topical solutions. Look for a minimum concentration of 5% of the oil (up to 15% for more severe acne)

Cut back on salt. 
Some doctors suspect that sodium has consequences for skin, because the iodine frequently found in table salt and some seafood may worsen acne breakouts. Stick to low-sodium versions of packaged foods, try to keep your overall salt consumption below 1,500 mg a day

Manage your stress.
"Stress doesn't create skin disease on its own, but it can make any existing issues worse," says Beth McLellan, MD, a dermatologist at NYU Langone's Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health in New York City. Researchers haven't established just why stomach-churning anxiety creates skin blemishes, but they point the finger at stress hormones such as cortisol for increasing inflammation levels in the body and stimulating oil glands. In any case, managing stress through exercise, meditation, or whatever method helps calm your nerves may also calm your skin.