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Oklahoma Academy of Ophthalmology Recommends 10 Simple Steps That Could Save Your Vision

OKLAHOMA CITY, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 20 million Americans suffer from severe vision loss. While not all eye diseases can be prevented, there are simple steps that everyone can take to help their eyes remain healthy now and reduce their chances of vision loss in the future.

May is Healthy Vision Month and through its EyeSmart campaign, the Oklahoma Academy of Ophthalmology (OAO) wants to remind consumers how important it is to protect your vision. "Proper care and caution is very important to prevent serious eye diseases and possible blindness," says OAO President and Oklahoma City eye doctor Amalia Miranda, MD. "Something as simple as remembering to wear you sunglasses can delay the development of cataracts," Dr. Miranda says.

Here are the top 10 tips from the OAO to safeguard your vision:

Wear sunglasses - UV blocking sunglasses delay the development of cataracts, since direct sunlight hastens their formation. Sunglasses prevent retinal damage; they also protect the delicate eyelid skin to prevent both wrinkles and skin cancer around the eye, and both cancerous and non-cancerous growths on the eye. The US standard states that the lenses should have a UVB (280 to 315nm) transmittance of no more than one per cent and a UVA (315 to 380nm) transmittance of no more than 0.5 times of the visual light transmittance.

Don't smoke - Tobacco smoking is directly linked to many adverse health effects, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Studies show that current smokers and ex-smokers are more likely to develop AMD than people who have never smoked. Smokers are also at increased risk for developing cataracts.

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