As you get older, you may notice that many of your friends are beginning to wear eye glasses.  You may even wonder how many more years you will be able to see clearly without them yourself.  If this scenario sounds familiar, you need to consider adopting a healthy lifestyle now.  The following 2 proven lifestyle changes can protect your vision for years to come.

Adopt an Eye Healthy Diet

Whether you wish to lose a few pounds or protect your eyesight, adopting a healthy diet can help.  Foods that are known to help keep eyesight crisp and clear include:

• Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and carrots – These vivid orange vegetables abound with beta carotene. This substance is broken down into vitamin A. Ingesting the recommended daily dosage of vitamin A can prevent you from developing night blindness.

• Kale and spinach – Dark leafy green vegetables contain the antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein. These types of antioxidants can protect your eyes from damage due to smoking, air pollution, and sunlight.

• Nuts and seeds – Vitamin E is believed to help keep eye tissue strong. Nuts and seeds that are great sources of vitamin E include almonds, pecans, and sunflower seeds.

• Brussels sprouts, strawberries, and grapefruit – Like vitamin A and vitamin E, vitamin C is also believed to support healthy eyes. These 3 foods are superior sources of vitamin C.

• Salmon, Trout, and Sardines – These 3 types of fish contain eye boosting omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent eye problems by fostering cell well-being and destroying damaging inflammation.

Take Charge of Chronic Health Problems

Certain health conditions increase your likelihood of developing eye problems.  Some health problems that may negatively affect your future eyesight include:

• Diabetes – Having diabetes increases your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.  This disease is caused by diabetes' ravaging effects on the blood vessels of the retina.  Sadly, diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in America.

• Multiple sclerosis – If you have multiple sclerosis, your odds of contracting optic neuritis increase. Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve that causes pain in the eye.

• Migraines – If you frequently suffer from migraine headaches, you might experience vision changes. Before suffering from a migraine, you may see spots of light, jagged patterns, or halos.

• High blood pressure – Uncontrolled high blood pressure sometimes causes people to suffer strokes. Strokes can cause temporary or permanent damage to the eyes.

If you suffer from one of the aforementioned chronic health conditions, you need to strive to keep it under control.  By controlling your health problem through medication, exercise, or some other means, you can decrease your likelihood of developing eye problems in the future.

Regardless of your age, protecting your eyesight might be high on your list of priorities.  Thankfully, by making some important lifestyle adjustments, you can safeguard your future eyesight.  If you are interested in healthy vision for life, contact a reputable optometrist at a clinic like Family Eyecare Center to talk about your options.