As you get older, protect your eyes!
Each of our five senses – touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight – is a precious gift that allows us to experience the joys of life. Yet, when people are asked which sense they would be most afraid to lose, the majority immediately answer “sight.” Sight allows us to appreciate the beauty and colours of the world around us.
For many Canadians, the risk of losing sight is far too high. One of the threats is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In recent years, due to increased screen time, eye health has been further jeopardized. Protective measures must be taken.
AMD is an eye condition that can affect us as we age. Age-related degeneration or damage to the retina can lead to a loss of vision in the centre of the visual field (the macula). Macular degeneration can make it difficult to read, watch TV, or recognize faces, often leaving only peripheral vision sufficient for basic daily activities. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in Canada, affecting over one million Canadians and more than a third of the population aged 55 to 74.1
Our vision is more affected than ever due to our highly digital era. People of all ages are looking to prevent potential oxidative damage to the eyes, due to increased screen time and blue light exposure we all experience.
Compared to previous decades, screen time has increased exponentially! Beyond accelerated deterioration of eye health, increased screen time can also lead to poor sleep, insulin resistance, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, poor stress regulation, depression, and suicide. We have developed a relationship with technology that resembles substance addiction behaviours!2
Visual impairment may be just the tip of the iceberg, but it is something we can act on and that will have a ripple effect. Nowadays, our lives revolve around screens, so apart from reducing device time, what else can we do to mitigate the effects of our digital lives?
How to Reduce Our Risk of Vision Loss
Avoid smoking, reduce your exposure to pollution, lower your stress levels, and wear sunglasses that protect against UV rays and blue light. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can also help.
Lifestyle
According to the Computer Vision Syndrome Questionnaire assessed in January 2021, online learning has contributed to an increase in eye problems in children. Digital eye strain can appear in children as well as adults in the form of dry eyes, itching, watering, blurred vision, and headaches, due to increased use of digital devices.3
Ways to protect eyesight include blue light blocking glasses, regular screen breaks, reducing overall time, applying the one-two-ten distance rule, and implementing the 20/20/20 rule. According to this rule, handheld devices should be no closer than one foot, desktops and laptops two feet, and televisions three feet. The minimum distance should always be an arm's length. This reduces the disparity between viewing distance and convergence.
Similarly, the 20/20/20 rule states that every 20 minutes, take a break to look 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This allows the eyes to move and focus, reducing screen-related eye strain.4 Preventative lifestyle changes can play an important role in maintaining eye health as we age.
Supplementation
Antioxidant studies have shown that a specific combination can reduce the incidence of AMD by 25% in high-risk patients. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), the largest study ever conducted on eye-related nutrition, supports the use of vitamin and antioxidant supplements for prevention.
An AREDS-based formula (Age-Related Eye Disease Study)
AREDS closely followed 4,500 participants with different stages of AMD. The results showed that the AREDS formulation, while not curing AMD, played a key role in helping people at high risk of developing advanced AMD retain their remaining vision. The daily dose of vitamins and minerals evaluated was: beta-carotene (25,000 IU), vitamin C (500 mg), vitamin E (400 IU), zinc (80 mg), and copper (2 mg).
In the years following the groundbreaking AREDS study, follow-up studies sought to replicate the impressive results of the AREDS guidelines with an even safer formula.
The follow-up study, known as AREDS2, completed in 2013, found that the benefits of the original AREDS formula could be achieved without beta-carotene and with a lower level of zinc. The new formula added a combination of two powerful natural antioxidants from marigold: lutein and zeaxanthin (10 mg and 2 mg per day, respectively).
Vision Supreme from Health First is based on AREDS2 research, as well as the Antioxidant Lutein Supplementation Trial (LAST). LAST proved that lutein supplementation, alone or combined with other nutrients, improves visual function. Vision Supreme exceeds lutein and zeaxanthin requirements, without using beta-carotene and with a reduced zinc level.
The benefits of the Vision Supreme formula:
- helps maintain eyesight and support eye health in conditions associated with sun damage, such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
- helps slow the progression of eye disorders, including diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy, and macular degeneration.
- may help support eye health, especially in people exposed to blue light from electronic devices.
Vision Supreme contains preventative doses of vitamin C, vitamin E, and copper, as well as a potent dose of natural antioxidants, bilberry and goji berry, which are proven to prevent dry eyes and eye fatigue and improve visual function.
If you truly want to preserve your eyesight, take preventative measures now by reducing screen time as much as possible, applying the 20/20/20 rule, and taking a supplement with Health First's Vision Supreme. Vision Supreme is the obvious choice as Canada's best clinically proven eye supplement!
Available in easy-to-swallow vegetable capsules.