Retinal Health Education Part 4
- posted: Jun. 18, 2020
Macular Degeneration can have a devastating effect on our central vision, and we don’t have effective treatments once damage has been done. That makes it crucial to do what we can early on to prevent and reduce the risk of the disease, similar to protecting your skin from the sun to reduce risk of skin cancer. In part 4 we covered the risk factors that can contribute to macular disease. Now we will cover what we can do to help prevent it.
Since children are outside more than adults, and these days they are staring at their devices for so many hours, they are even more at risk than adults for retinal damage. We can start by teaching our children about good habits to protect our eyes, such as wearing quality sunglasses that block 99% of harmful UV light, getting a blue light filter on their prescription glasses, and encouraging physical exercise.
The other factor that can make a big difference in our retinal health over the years is our diet. Because it’s not likely that our children will eat the necessary 8-10 helpings of green leafy vegetables, I recommend supplementing our childrens’ retinas with an age-appropriate eye vitamin like Eye Promise Screen Shield Teen, which is a chewable multivitamin that tastes good and contains zeaxanthin and lutein formulated for kids and teens.
For students, professionals (and everyone else) who use digital devices throughout the day, the one I prescribe for optimum retinal health is Screen Shield Pro. For older adults without early signs or significant risk, Eye Promise Restore provides the appropriate levels of zeaxanthin and lutein.