Top 10 Tips to Save Your Vision( Texas' ophthalmologists recommend ten...),Health

Texas' ophthalmologists recommend ten simple steps to reduce your chance of vision loss

WAXAHACHIE, Texas, 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 Texas Ophthalmological Association (TOA) 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 TOA President and Waxahachie eye doctor Galen Kemp, MD. "Something as simple as remembering to wear your sunglasses can delay the development of cataracts," Dr. Kemp says.

Here are the top 10 tips from the TOA 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.

Eat right -- Vitamin deficiency can impai
'/>"/>