You’ve heard about how vital it is to keep your body healthy by eating nutritional foods, getting plenty of exercise, and surrounding yourself with great people.  But it’s not just your body that needs proper care and attention to be in peak physical condition – your eye health does as well.

Like the body, your eyes need specific nutrients (more commonly referred to as “ocular nutrition”) in order to maintain stellar vision and combat the stresses of everyday life.  These daily stresses are often known as “oxidative stress”, and can pose a serious health risk to our eyesight.   Nutrition such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants work to counteract the by-products caused by oxidative stress, which keeps our eyes healthy and strong.

However, as our bodies age, the amount of nutrition available to our eyes steadily drops, resulting in a number of degenerative eye diseases that are so common in our golden years.  In the US and other developed countries, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has become the leading cause of irreversible vision loss.

So what’s the solution for keeping our eye health on track?  Simple: taking nutritional supplements that are meant specifically for preserving and protecting eye health.

Ocular Nutrition and Your Eye Health

In order to counteract the damages associated with poor eye health, complete ocular nutrition should be a necessary part of every person’s diet.  Ocular nutrition is comprised of highly specific vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all which work together to support eye health and vision.  Additionally, ocular nutrition helps to combat the byproducts of oxidative stress, which in turn assists individuals with fighting off degenerative diseases and other vision problems.

The retina in particular has the highest concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids, chemicals that are prone to ROS (reactive oxygen species), which have toxic and destructive effects on all cellular components. With age, the amount of vitamin C and E in the body, and in the retina, have been shown to decline. This fact, combined with deficiencies in antioxidants in an aging eye, create additional risk factors for developing AMD.

An example of ocular nutrition would be omega-3 supplements.  Omega-3 is a type of fatty acid that has been shown to reduce inflammatory effects on the eye.  Because this type of fatty acid is not produced by the body (hence why it’s known as an “essential” fatty acid), it’s extremely critical for individuals to get their fill through a healthy diet and regular nutritional supplements.

Unfortunately, many Americans progressively replace omega-3s, as well as vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein and zeaxanthin, with refined sugars and other processed foods. It’s estimated that on any given day 25% of the population consumes any omega-3s, and nearly half of Americans fail to eat the recommended amount of zinc.

At Envision Eye & Laser Center in Glenn Dale, MD (also serving the greater Washington DC area; Bowie, Maryland; and Prince George’s county), Dr. Bovelle provides an extensive range of ocular nutrition supplements that are designed to support healthy eyesight from the inside out.  Our ocular antioxidants help protect the eye by preventing oxidative damage, which supports healthy eyes as you age and prevents AMD from developing.

Support and protect your eye health by taking a look at ocular nutritional supplements with Dr. Bovelle today. You can visit our eye health website for product information, or simply call 301-805-4664 to learn more.