5 easy ways to care for your eyes

Eye health is incredibly important but sometimes overlooked. Here are five easy ways to protect your eyes from lasting damage.

How much fish have you been eating lately? And no, the deep-fried shrimp doesn't count.

• If you find yourself rubbing your eyes a lot and practically mainlining eye drops, then the two — lack of fish and dry eyes — could be related.
• Fish contains valuable omega-3 fatty acids, which make your tears oilier so they coat the surface of your eyes better.
• They also reduce inflammation, another cause of reduced tear production.
• Either eat a fatty fish like salmon or mackerel two or three times a week, or take three grams of fish oil daily.

Spinach is rich in eye-protecting carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin.

• Numerous studies find that diets rich in these nutrients can prevent or slow the progress of age-related macular degeneration.
• But raw spinach won't cut it; you need to cook spinach a bit to release the full amount of carotenoids.
• So sauté a bag of prewashed spinach in 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil and a garlic clove just until the spinach wilts.
• Toss a pinch of dried red peppers over the greens, place over pasta and sprinkle the whole thing with grated Parmesan cheese.

Here's a fact we're pretty sure neither you nor your doctor knows: pilots in the Royal Air Force in Britain used to eat tons of bilberry jam to improve their night vision before flying sorties.

• They knew then what science is only now learning: bilberries, also called English blueberries, can preserve the health and integrity of your retina and improve night vision.
• Take a 160-milligram supplement twice a day.

No, not in your eyes, but in other parts of your body.

• Numerous studies find that this ancient Chinese treatment significantly increases eye moisture, although, as with many alternative approaches, we're not sure why.
• But you know what? We also don't know why or how a lot of drugs work! And don't worry: if you're afraid of needles, most acupuncturists today can use acupressure or other non-needle approaches.

You wear sunscreen for your skin, don't you? Well, you need the equivalent for your eyes too. In fact, sun exposure is one of the leading contributors to potentially blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

• Not just any pair of sunglasses will do, however, so listen up. You want glasses that transmit no more than one percent UVB and one percent UVA rays, are a wraparound style to prevent sunlight from leaking in the sides of the glasses, and gray lenses because they provide the best protection.
• If you wear contact lenses, make sure you get yours with ultraviolet light protection. But be warned, contact lenses are not a replacement for sunglasses.

Keep these tips in mind and protect your eyes to reduce your risk of having eye problems in the future.