Keep Your Eyes Healthy at Any Age With These 4 Tips
As summer approaches, bringing increased UV rays and bright, sunny days, it's more important than ever to protect your eyes. As we age, eye strain gets worse, and it can be exacerbated by staring at screens, being outside, and even chronic health conditions. That doesn't mean you can't protect them though. Keeping your eyes in good shape can start at any age, and these tips are sure to help.
While aging does raise the risk of eye issues, vision loss is not guaranteed. With a few smart habits and regular checkups, you can keep your eyes healthy at every stage of life.
1. Know your risk level for eye diseases
Knowing what things affect your vision and how to identify symptoms is one of the most effective ways to stay on top of your eye health.
If you have a job where you look at a computer screen all day, you're probably already familiar with eye fatigue and strain that sometimes cause temporary blurry vision. Take eye breaks at least every 20 minutes, and consider a pair of blue light-blocking glasses for use while working. If you work outdoors where the sun may damage your eyes or in a facility where things could get into your eyes, make sure to wear the appropriate protective eyewear and respond promptly to any injuries.
Don't forget about your family history. There are more than 350 eye diseases that are considered hereditary. You can't change your genetics, but being aware of them will help you identify symptoms or seek preventive care.
Read more: Best Reading Glasses of 2025
2. Get your eyes checked with regular eye exams
Eye examinations may not be what you look forward to most, but they should rank pretty high on the list of important things to do as you age. Whether you have a family history of vision issues or not, regular eye exams can help you identify issues early before they become something more severe.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends eye examinations at least every year or two after age 65. Age-related eye issues like cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration can be identified early by an ophthalmologist.3. Wear proper eyewear both inside and outside
The sun's UV rays can be harmful to the eyes and damage your vision. Excessive UV light has been linked to a higher risk of cataracts or even eyelid cancers, according to the US National Institutes of Health. Wear a proper hat and sunglasses that block at least 99% of UVA and UVB rays.
If you wear prescription glasses or contacts, or even a pair of over-the-counter readers, be proactive in updating your eyewear regularly. The prescription you needed at the time may be different than what you need now. Even if those over-the-counter readers did the trick a year ago, you may need a little more help now.
4. Take care of your body as a whole
Although external environmental factors certainly play a role, a lot of your eye health comes from the inside out.
A diet full of the best foods for healthy eyes can help deliver your body the nutrients it needs for optimal eye health. That includes things like almonds, broccoli, carrots, eggs, kiwi, leafy greens, salmon and sunflower seeds that are easy to incorporate into meals. A proper diet also encourages healthy blood glucose and body weight, which reduces the risk of diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 90% of diabetes-related blindness is preventable.
If you're a smoker, now is the time to stop. Among the many other diseases, smoking is associated with, smoking-related eye conditions are common. Two of the biggest threats are macular degeneration and cataracts. As a smoker, you're twice as likely to develop age-related macular degeneration and two to three times more likely to develop cataracts than nonsmokers, per the CDC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Red Sox have been patient as Trevor Story's offense has stalled. But for how much longer?
BOSTON — Trevor Story's struggles at the plate this season haven't been hard to miss. The 32-year-old entered Monday hitting .222 with a .603 OPS and just 11 extra-base hits in 236 plate appearances over 57 games. And yet after a productive trip last week, in which he went 4-for-14 with a homer and a double, smoking two hits over 105 mph on Sunday, there were glimpses of Story turning a corner. Advertisement But an 0-for-4 night on Monday in Boston's 7-6 loss to the Angels proved a microcosm of the Red Sox season. One step forward, one step back. It marked Boston's 16th one-run loss this season. Like he did over the weekend, Story had a chance to play hero in the fifth inning as the Red Sox clawed back from an early 6-0 deficit to pull within 6-5. He came to the plate with the tying run on third base, but struck out. Story is far from where he wants to be — and where he should be — in the fourth year of a six-year, $140 million deal he signed in 2022. 'We're getting there, I truly believe we're getting there,' manager Alex Cora said before the game. 'It started with the at-bat against the closer in Milwaukee, 100 with a breaking ball, he took that walk. Hit some balls hard. The strikeouts are the strikeouts, but they're a little bit different than what was happening two weeks ago.' And yet, Story added two more punchouts on Monday, including that key spot in the fifth. He's striking out at a much-too-high 31 percent rate. Amid what he's acknowledged as the worst offensive stretch of his career, he's still searching for answers and consistency. 'The feeling out of the box, that is what I like more than the results,' Story said of how he's approached this stretch. 'Hitting is such a crazy thing. And it can come and go quickly, but for me, the less I think about how it's done and the mechanics of it, and I can just be an athlete and go out there and play. So, that's going to focus.' Story started this season on a hot streak, hitting .337 with five homers and an .894 OPS through 23 games before his offense stalled. His increased playing time means he's been healthy, an elusive feat of late, but it also means he's had to find his rhythm at the plate once again after three years largely on the sidelines due to injury. Advertisement In 2022, his first year in Boston, Story played just 94 games after getting hit on the hand by a pitch over the summer, followed by a heel contusion later in the season. In 2023, Story had an internal bracing procedure on his throwing arm for a damaged elbow ligament, forcing him to miss all but 43 games. In 2024, Story began the year healthy, but broke a bone in his shoulder on a diving play in April, necessitating major surgery. After a grueling rehab, he returned in August and played 26 games. His 58 games played so far are his most since 2022, but the game is constantly evolving, and learning to adapt to that has taken longer than he wanted. 'It plays into it for sure,' Story said. 'You feel your groove, you feel your routine, and the game changes a little bit, too. And sometimes you can evolve with it. And sometimes, the old routine is better, too. There's a mental aspect to it. Coming back and playing every day after kind of missing two and a half years in a row. Mentally and physically, our bodies are kind of relearning that.' Story also knows he doesn't have an infinite amount of time to figure it out at the plate. Top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer debuted a few weeks ago when third baseman Alex Bregman landed on the injury list. Mayer has only started at third base so far with a handful of late-game reps at short, in large part to accommodate the veteran Story. A natural shortstop, Mayer had played at third base just six times in the minors before his debut. David Hamilton has started at shortstop over Story just three times since May 1. Meanwhile, with baseball's No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, also knocking on the door, the Red Sox may end up maneuvering the roster even further to find Anthony playing time by moving Ceddanne Rafaela to shortstop. That could mean some time on the bench for Story if he continues to search for hits. Advertisement On Monday, Cora noted, though, that with Romy Gonzalez back from the injury list, he'll see time at first base and Abraham Toro will be used at third against lefties, with Mayer on the bench. Cora also made note that with Gonzalez back in the mix, there's less urgency for Kristian Campbell to play at first base. Campbell will still get reps at the spot, but will not be considered for game action at the position unless there's an emergency. The roster changes aren't something Story is immune to. With that in mind, he's trying to find the balance of not putting too much pressure on himself, but also recognizing he needs to produce more consistently to keep his job. 'When you don't do something for four years, it takes a while, and it happens to a lot of them,' Cora said of sticking with Story. 'This is a game that, for us, what he saw four years ago; it's not what he sees now. Velocity is up, the shape of pitches are different. The way they attack you, it's a lot different. Your body's not moving the same. Losing confidence. There's a lot of things that come on a daily basis, especially when you're not having repetitions. 'Like I said, we gotta show up today and do the same thing and repeat it over and over and over again, and then hopefully we get going.' Cora has had an immense amount of patience with the veteran shortstop, but there's no guarantee it will continue if Story can't produce more consistently, and soon. (Top photo of manager Alex Cora and shortstop Trevor Story in Atlanta on May 31: Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Energized by struggles, Royce Lewis works to get back on track: ‘Everyone slumps'
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Though he's hitless his last 30 at-bats and was pinch hit for in a key spot a day earlier, Royce Lewis remains upbeat and focused. Out of the lineup on Monday night, the Twins' third baseman said he's concentrating on not over-swinging the bat or thinking too much about his slump. The production — he's batting .127/.195/.197 with one homer in 77 plate appearances — is far from what Lewis envisioned when he worked throughout the offseason to rediscover the star form he lost down the stretch last season. Advertisement But Lewis recognizes slumps will happen. And for those of you who love to mock the statement he previously made about how he mentally handles slumps — 'I don't do the slump thing' — Lewis isn't afraid to admit he's in the middle of one. 'What I was trying to say mentally was I don't go into 'I'm 0-for-20 whatever,'' Lewis said. 'I go into today thinking, 'It's Luis Severino. I've faced him in the past. I feel good. I know his sinker and his four-seam.' And that's my mindset. That's what I was trying to say. So I'll say it: I slump. A lot of people slump. Everyone slumps. Hopefully, I play long enough I slump 100 more times. That's my goal. I'm very excited to keep pushing through and have another opportunity.' Lewis is working hard to prepare himself for the next chance. He arrived at Sutter Health Park and took early batting practice on the field with his hitting coaches. Then he waited for the players in Monday's lineup to hit indoors and worked around their schedules. Later, he took on-field batting practice with his teammates. Much of the work is focused on his stride and remaining grounded, hitting coach Matt Borgschulte said. Lewis also noted he's trying to get back on track mentally. 'He was in here hitting some challenging shapes and some good stuff to make sure he's staying on the ball as much as he can,' Borgschulte said. 'Staying grounded in his legs. Getting back to the step where he's kind of in rhythm with it. I'm excited to see how things progress. All we can do is continue to put in good work and hope that the results will continue to get better. With a guy with that much talent, it's just a matter of time before things start going his way.' The Twins believe things will turn for Lewis and cite statistical evidence to suggest it should. His 90.2 mph exit velocity is above his career average and up three miles per hour from last season, when Lewis endured the first real slump of his career. Lewis's 15.6 percent strikeout rate is the lowest of his career, and his pitch selection has never been better. Advertisement The Twins aren't oblivious to his slump. They recognize their young slugger is off. But they also can look at his unseemly .138 batting average on balls in play, which is 157 points below his career mark entering the season, and know some course correction is due. 'He's had a couple off days in there, and I think those are good to be able to get those resets and dig in a little bit more deeply with the coaching staff to just get going here,' general manager Jeremy Zoll said. 'I'm very confident that there's still an elite player in there, and there are brighter days probably right around the corner for him.' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is encouraged to hear the honest quote from Lewis about slumps. He likes the way Lewis is working. He's even more pleased with how Lewis handles himself during a trying time, including being pulled back for a pinch hitter down a run late in Sunday's loss to Seattle (Lewis said he wasn't offended and rooted for Brooks Lee). 'When you're dealing with struggles, looking at them straight on is a good thing,' Baldelli said. 'I'm glad that in some ways he's looking at it like that, because the next step is, what do you do about it? And the next step is attack it with work, and we're at that point now, and that's where he is, and that's where I want him to be.' Ideally, Lewis would prefer hitting fourth and attempting to assault the area beyond the fences at the A's temporary home, which already is known to be hitter-friendly. For the time being, he's focused on righting himself. Lewis physically feels great. His slump isn't preventing him from enjoying the Twins' winning ways and the lifestyle. He's unclear why his average bat speed is down more than two miles per hour from the 2023 season, one of the biggest drops in the majors. But he's seen enough players go through slumps — and feels prepared to battle this one after bouncing back from multiple severe injuries — to think he won't recover. Advertisement 'If anything, right now I'm over-swinging,' Lewis said. 'I'm swinging way too hard, and then it feels like your head starts bouncing up and down, and you start missing pitches you normally want to hit. I'm trying to slow it down a little bit. … I've overcome all those (injuries). It gives me the peace of mind that this is just baseball. Hitters go through this. It's very normal. It's something I'm going to overcome again.' One prominent Twins prospect is ready to come off the injured list, while another is headed for the sidelines. Zoll confirmed Emmanuel Rodriguez, whom The Athletic's Keith Law rated the No. 21 prospect in January, could miss anywhere from two to four weeks with a right hip strain he felt when chasing down a fly ball in Omaha on Friday night. Rodriguez is batting .232/.400/.392 with four homers in 160 plate appearances this season. Meanwhile, Walker Jenkins, whom Law rated the No. 4 prospect, was set to return to action for the first time since April 6, but his team's Florida Complex League game was rained out. After playing in two April games, Jenkins has missed nearly two months with a sprained ankle he originally suffered before minor-league spring training began.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Corrections: June 3, 2025
An article on May 25 about an unconventional program that claims to reverse Alzheimer's symptoms referred imprecisely to the sales of Dale Bredesen's book 'The End of Alzheimer's.' The title has sold around 300,000 copies in the United States, not overall. Because of an editing error, an article on Sunday about a neighborhood on the outskirts of Berlin that was built for the elite guard of the Nazi Reich misidentified the spokesman for Vonovia, a company that serves as a landlord for some 300 apartments in the development was misidentified. He is Matthias Wulff, not Wulaaff. An article on Sunday about the Energy Department's announcement that it was terminating $3.7 billion in Biden-era awards to companies trying to demonstrate technologies that might one day help tackle global warming misidentified the location of a Heidelberg Materials cement plant. It is in Indiana, not Louisiana. An article on Saturday about a federal grand jury indicting a former New Hampshire businessman, Eric Spofford, on charges that he orchestrated attacks on the homes of journalists who had investigated claims of sexual misconduct against him misstated how much money Mr. Spofford is accused of paying an associate to vandalize the homes of a reporter and an editor at New Hampshire Public Radio as well as the home of the reporter's parents. It was $20,000, not $10,000. An article on Sunday about the actress and singer Megan Hilty's routine on show days while she's starring in the Broadway musical 'Death Becomes Her' misstated Brian Gallagher's age. He is 45, not 52. An obituary on May 23 about Jim Irsay, the owner and chief executive of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League, misstated the location of his death. It occurred in a hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., not Los Angeles. An obituary on Thursday about Bruce Logan, a special effects artist and cinematographer, using information from David Zucker, one of the directors of 'Airplane!,' misstated Mr. Logan's contribution to that film. He worked on miniatures; he did not design the title sequence. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions. To contact the newsroom regarding correction requests, please email nytnews@ To share feedback, please visit Comments on opinion articles may be emailed to letters@ For newspaper delivery questions: 1-800-NYTIMES (1-800-698-4637) or email customercare@
