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CHEERS to your ocular health.

Did you know that nutrition plays a vital role in your ocular health?

Cardiologists stress lean meats, red wine, and exercise for your heart health. But what about your eyes? Well, studies show there are distinct food groups that show extreme benefit to the well being of your vision.

Lutein, found in green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli create an added insulation in your retina against macular degeneration. Yellow vegetables and fruit (squash, yellow watermelon) as well as Omega III supplements (fish oil or flax seed oil) also help boost the pigment cells in the macula to promote crisp vision. As a side note, it is best to purchase molecularly distilled fish oil, and take the pills at night to prevent unwanted GI effects or “fish burp” which occurs with less expensive, non distilled fish oils. Remember, not all fish oil pills are created equally.

What about preventing cataracts you ask? Well, studies have shown that vitamin C found in citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and kiwi can slow down cataract formation. Cutting your UV exposure by wearing sunglasses with UV-A and UV-B protection will also help, as well as smoking cessation. You see, cataracts are a clouding of the natural lens of the eye that causes symptoms such as dim vision, glare at night, decreased focusing, and blurred vision.

Macular Degeneration is a condition of the retina in the back of the eye that causes symptoms of loosing the fine detail vision we have been used to, replacing it with a central scotomas or blind spots. Your central vision gets destroyed by this disease. Macular Degeneration is an inherited disease, as well as some cataract formations, so check your family history to see if you are at greater risk.

It behooves you to be aware of these conditions that affect millions of people worldwide, and do your best to incorporate preventative care such as good nutrition, regular check ups with your eye care practitioner, and preventing sun exposure as well as not smoking. Additionally, cooked food devalues the precious live enzymes, so these foods are best eaten raw.

Remember, you can play a vital role in your ocular health. After all, remember Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who said: "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food".

And lastly if you don’t have time to eat all those fruits and vegetables in a day consider a fruit or vegetable smoothie and then drink to your good ocular health!

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Recent changes to America’s healthcare delivery system have a direct impact on your eyes. The ACA (Affordable Care Act) otherwise known as ObamaCare, has vision care for pediatric patients up to age 21 included in it. The ACA covers an annual eye exam and materials, and the out of pocket cost for glasses depends on which plan you sign up for: Bronze, Silver, or Gold.

Because good vision is so vital for job performance and learning, the Federal Government realized that catching eye problems early in children was a key component to successful outcomes when they reach adulthood. For patients that are eligible, most State Medicaid plans also cover examination and materials for children up to age 18. For patients 65 and older, Medicare covers medically necessary eye examinations.

Our founding fathers took an interest in good vision from the beginning. Just look at what Ben Franklin invented: the bifocal lens so that people over 40 could have their distance and near vision combined into one pair of glasses. Just as Ben Franklin was not short sighted when it came to inventing items to help the peoples’ vision, so was the Federal Government when they included vision examination for children in the ACA and Medicaid, and eye care for aging populations in Medicare services.

Being aware of what vision services you are eligible for will help ensure preventative care to be incorporated into your wellness routine.

For more information on these programs visit:

For ACA information www.healthcare.gov

For Medicare information www.medicare.gov

For Medicaid www.medicaid.gov/

The content of this blog cannot be reproduced or duplicated without the express written consent of EYEiQ

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.