Blog vol 4.30. Happy eyes in 2024.
A new beginning. The holiday season is over, as is the overindulging in eating, drinking, and merry-making. Exercise is no longer on hold. Let’s give our eyes a treat: more oxygen and more nutrients.
Healthy eyes are the goal. Prevention is key. The hope is that our new January habits stay on and get embedded in our daily routines. Being realistic is really helpful; set a one-month goal and stick to it (qualifying for the Boston Marathon isn’t going to work for most of us), something small and doable like no snacks after dinner or parking at the far end of the parking lot at work…
Let’s start with
DIET: calories in, calories out. I do a regular workout on an Erg machine, 5 K on the rowing machine equates to 300 calories (it really feels like it should be a lot more). That tells us two things, first that calories take a long time to burn and hey, our bodies are incredibly efficient. By just reducing your calorie intake by 15-20 % you can lose weight if necessary. The type of calories you consume is critical. Eating more antioxidant-rich foods such as green vegetables, peppers, and blueberries helps promote healing and helps prevent damage in the whole body, damage from the free radicals your body produces, and the free radicals you take in by smoking, breathing unclean air, or by being exposed to UV. These nasties damage tissues in your body, eyes included.
NO SMOKING OR VAPING. Please stop.
Gotta love those fatty acids. Omega 3’s are good, that is fish oils and flax seed oil, and help protect your body (good for eyes too!) Omega 6 fatty acids are in vegetable oils and nuts, and can be helpful for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease (eyes benefit too:). The Omega 9’s are found in canola oil and olive oil and help with insulin sensitivity and diabetes prevention, great for eyes. The goal is to balance the three fatty acids.
Next is
EXERCISE, surprise, surprise. The retina has close to 1.2 million receptors, like rods and cones, that are literally firing all the time. That requires a lot of oxygen and nutrients which are provided courtesy of the circulatory system through a rich bed of capillaries under the rods and cones. Increased circulation is good for the eyes, the heart, and brain, and all the body. Increase cardiovascular output, increase circulation. Aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, swimming, rowing, or cycling for extended periods of time is great. Start slow, walking in small packets of time, and s l o w l y ramp it up. Do not overdo it the first few times out, you can injure yourself physically, frustrate yourself mentally, or both. Remember that we are in this for the long haul.
Three simple things to consider: diet, smoking, exercise. Make a commitment to change one small thing for the month of January, your eyes will be glad you did.
I have this conversation with all my patients. It is pre-emptive. Let’s prevent what can be prevented, with the bonus of feeling better and feeling better about ourselves.
Happy New Year!
The good doctor
