Eye Health

Managing eye health conditions for healthier vision

Learn how lifestyle changes, nutrition and natural support can help reduce your risk of eye health complications.

Introduction

It’s completely normal for our vision to change as we age. Many older adults may need reading glasses to see up close, and other common changes include differences in colour perception, and taking longer to adjust to light changes (like when you switch a bright light on in a dark room).

Unfortunately, age also comes with an increased risk of other eye health-related complications, like cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to slow down the eye-ageing process and reduce your risk of eye health complications - the earlier you start, the better.
Read on to find out more about common eye health conditions and what you can do to protect your vision.

Why eye health matters: We only get one set of eyes, and they’re on the ball, working for most of the day (until we get some much-needed rest, that is). As well as enabling us to see, they also help us perceive colour, depth and movement. They can also give us a window into other health issues in the body, like liver problems, blood cancer, and diabetes.

What is age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye condition linked to ageing, smoking, high blood pressure, family history, and being overweight. It normally affects the central vision in people over 50. Symptoms include blurred, distorted, or loss of central vision – making driving, reading, watching TV, and recognising faces difficult. There’s no treatment for AMD, but you can make lifestyle changes to slow down its progression.

What are cataracts?

If you have cataracts, the lens in one or both of your eyes becomes cloudy. This causes blurred vision and loss of sight. Other symptoms include difficulty seeing at night or reading and watching television, uncomfortable or light-sensitive eyes, double vision, halos around lights, and faded colours (especially blue).

Your risk of cataracts increases if:

  • You’re over 60,
  • You’ve had an eye injury or eye surgery,
  • You can have another eye condition like glaucoma or uveitis,
  • You’ve taken steroids for a long time,
  • You have a family history cataracts,
  • You’re a woman,
  • You smoke,
  • You’ve had prolonged sunlight exposure without protection,
  • You have type 2 diabetes, severe dermatitis, or high blood pressure.

Cataracts get worse over time, and without treatment, they’ll cause sight loss. You can have cataract surgery to improve your eyesight. This involves replacing the cloudy lens with an artificial, clear one.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a common eye condition where fluid builds up in the front part of the eye, increasing pressure. It’s caused by optic nerve damage and can lead to a loss of vision (it usually affects both eyes) if it’s not diagnosed and treated early. Glaucoma can affect people of any age, but it’s most common in the over 70s.

There aren’t usually many symptoms of glaucoma at first; they develop slowly over time and initially affect your peripheral vision. Other symptoms may include blurred vision or seeing rainbow-coloured circles around bright lights. Glaucoma can occasionally develop suddenly. If this happens, symptoms may include intense eye pain, headaches, nausea and vomiting, red or tender eyes, seeing rings around lights, and blurred vision.

Glaucoma can be treated to stop any loss of vision from getting worse, but any loss of vision that occurs can’t be reversed. That’s why early diagnosis and intervention for glaucoma are so important, as it could lead to total sight loss if not picked up on.

What is diabetic retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy (sometimes called “diabetic eye disease”) is a complication of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It’s caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the retina (aka. the seeing part) at the back of your eye. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it can cause total sight loss.

Symptoms don’t tend to appear until it’s more advanced, and can include:

  • Worsening vision (suddenly or over time),
  • Floaters (small shapes, spots or lines in your field of vision),
  • Blurred or patchy vision,
  • Eye redness or pain,
  • Trouble seeing in the dark.

Early diagnosis and treatment are key - diabetic eye screening tests can pick up the early signs of the condition before it worsens. If you have diabetes, make sure you attend your diabetic eye screening appointments, and make sure your blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol are under control to minimise the risk of developing glaucoma.

Disclaimer icon Flat yellow warning triangle with an exclamation mark

Disclaimer – when to seek medical advice / call 999: If you notice sudden vision changes, intense eye pain, redness, or loss of vision, seek urgent medical help. Don’t forget to attend routine eye exams even if your vision seems fine.

Eat foods that are beneficial to eye health

As always, a balanced diet that’s rich in essential vitamins and minerals is essential for good health, eyes included. Some of the most beneficial nutrients for your eyes include:

Vitamin A - If you ever wonder why you were told to eat all your carrots so you could see in the dark, it’s because of Vitamin A (which also goes by the name ‘retinol’). It produces the pigments in your retinas and helps you see in low light. Vitamin A-rich foods include egg yolks, dairy, liver, leafy greens and carrots.

Vitamin C - Vitamin C (found in citruses, peppers, strawberries, blackcurrants, broccoli, sprouts and potatoes) acts as a sort of “sunscreen” for your eyes. We have high quantities of it in our aqueous humour (the clear fluid that fills the space between the lens and the cornea in front of the eyeball). It can help protect our eyes against UV light damage and oxidative damage (which can contribute to cataract formation).

Selenium - Selenium is also beneficial to eye health because it helps prevent conditions like AMD and cataracts. There’s also a link between selenium deficiency and Thyroid Eye disease. Selenium deficiency is common in the UK population because selenium levels in UK soils are low and declining. To get the levels you need, consider taking a pharmaceutical-grade supplement like Bio-SelenoPrecise.

Omega-3s and omega-6s - Fatty acids, like omega-3s found in oily fish, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts and Bio-Fish Oil, help preserve vision, relieve dry eye symptoms, and slow the progression of eye conditions like AMD and glaucoma. Gamma-linolenic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid found in things like spirulina and primrose oil) can also alleviate dry eyes and reduce your risk of developing eye conditions like diabetic retinopathy and cataracts.
Other antioxidants considered beneficial to your eye health include vitamin E, carotenoids, and flavonoids.

Stay hydrated & maintain a healthy weight

Have you ever noticed your eyes itching when you haven’t drunk enough? You need to stay hydrated to support tear production (which protects your eyes against irritation and dryness), deliver vital nutrients to the eye tissues, and maintain intraocular pressure for healthy eye structures. Your ideal fluid intake depends on your size, activity levels, and environment, but adults generally should aim for around 2–2.5 litres of fluids per day.

Obesity may put you at higher risk of developing glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. A healthy weight can help you protect your macular pigment optical density, which lowers your risk of developing AMD. Your macular pigment serves to protect your eyes through its antioxidant activity and ability to filter phototoxic blue light radiation.

Eat foods that are beneficial to eye health

As always, a balanced diet that’s rich in essential vitamins and minerals is essential for good health, eyes included. Some of the most beneficial nutrients for your eyes include:

Vitamin A - If you ever wonder why you were told to eat all your carrots so you could see in the dark, it’s because of Vitamin A (which also goes by the name ‘retinol’). It produces the pigments in your retinas and helps you see in low light. Vitamin A-rich foods include egg yolks, dairy, liver, leafy greens and carrots.

Vitamin C - Vitamin C (found in citruses, peppers, strawberries, blackcurrants, broccoli, sprouts and potatoes) acts as a sort of “sunscreen” for your eyes. We have high quantities of it in our aqueous humour (the clear fluid that fills the space between the lens and the cornea in front of the eyeball). It can help protect our eyes against UV light damage and oxidative damage (which can contribute to cataract formation).

Selenium - Selenium is also beneficial to eye health because it helps prevent conditions like AMD and cataracts. There’s also a link between selenium deficiency and Thyroid Eye disease. Selenium deficiency is common in the UK population because selenium levels in UK soils are low and declining. To get the levels you need, consider taking a pharmaceutical-grade supplement like Bio-SelenoPrecise.

Omega-3s and omega-6s - Fatty acids, like omega-3s found in oily fish, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts and Bio-Fish Oil, help preserve vision, relieve dry eye symptoms, and slow the progression of eye conditions like AMD and glaucoma. Gamma-linolenic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid found in things like spirulina and primrose oil) can also alleviate dry eyes and reduce your risk of developing eye conditions like diabetic retinopathy and cataracts.
Other antioxidants considered beneficial to your eye health include vitamin E, carotenoids, and flavonoids.

Stay hydrated & maintain a healthy weight

Have you ever noticed your eyes itching when you haven’t drunk enough? You need to stay hydrated to support tear production (which protects your eyes against irritation and dryness), deliver vital nutrients to the eye tissues, and maintain intraocular pressure for healthy eye structures. Your ideal fluid intake depends on your size, activity levels, and environment, but adults generally should aim for around 2–2.5 litres of fluids per day.

Obesity may put you at higher risk of developing glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. A healthy weight can help you protect your macular pigment optical density, which lowers your risk of developing AMD. Your macular pigment serves to protect your eyes through its antioxidant activity and ability to filter phototoxic blue light radiation.

Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is good for just about every part of your body, and your eyes are no exception. Since exercise can help reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure, it also reduces your risk of eye conditions that can develop as a result of them, like AMD, glaucoma, and cataracts. Additionally, increased blood flow to your optic nerve and retina from cardiovascular exercise supports your eye health and reduces the risk of retinal blood vessel damage caused by high blood pressure. Dry eye symptoms can also be reduced by this increased blood flow, as well as the screen down-time exercise provides. Take care when practising sports that could potentially cause eye damage, and always wear sufficient protection (like squash goggles).

Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is good for just about every part of your body, and your eyes are no exception. Since exercise can help reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure, it also reduces your risk of eye conditions that can develop as a result of them, like AMD, glaucoma, and cataracts. Additionally, increased blood flow to your optic nerve and retina from cardiovascular exercise supports your eye health and reduces the risk of retinal blood vessel damage caused by high blood pressure. Dry eye symptoms can also be reduced by this increased blood flow, as well as the screen down-time exercise provides. Take care when practising sports that could potentially cause eye damage, and always wear sufficient protection (like squash goggles).

The importance of good sleep for your eye health

For the best chance of rest and recovery, make sure you get plenty of shut-eye – around 7–9 hours of good-quality sleep per night. Lack of sleep can cause eye dryness, short-term vision issues, double vision, difficulty focusing, eyelid twitching and sensitivity to light. Prolonged lack of sleep or poor sleep also increases your risk of glaucoma.

The importance of good sleep for your eye health

For the best chance of rest and recovery, make sure you get plenty of shut-eye – around 7–9 hours of good-quality sleep per night. Lack of sleep can cause eye dryness, short-term vision issues, double vision, difficulty focusing, eyelid twitching and sensitivity to light. Prolonged lack of sleep or poor sleep also increases your risk of glaucoma.

What not to do

Stop smoking

Smoking doubles your risk of developing AMD (one of the UK’s most common causes of sight loss) and cataracts. The toxic chemicals in cigarettes can also worsen, or lead to diabetes-related sight problems, thyroid eye disease, and optic nerve damage.

Protect your eyes from the sun

You wouldn’t go out in the blazing sun without sunscreen, so don’t forget to protect your eyes from the sun as well. The sun’s ultraviolet UVA and UVB rays can damage your eyes and increase your risk of some conditions, like cataracts and photokeratitis. To keep your eyes protected from the sun’s rays, wear sunglasses that have the CE mark or BS EN ISO 12312-1 British quality standard (which means they provide adequate protection against UV light). Choose a style that gives you as much coverage as possible – think big lenses or wraparound styles.

Sunglasses can be tricky for glasses wearers. If you don’t want prescription sunglasses, you might be able to add a UV-protective coating to your glasses, or your glasses may already have one as standard – ask your optician if you’re not sure.

 Sun hats can also help protect your eyes from the sun – especially if they have integrated UV protection.

Limit your screen time and take regular screen breaks

Too much blue light and screen time can mean eye strain resulting in discomfort, dry eyes, fatigue and headaches. This is partly because we blink half as often when we’re transfixed by a screen. To reduce digital eye strain, try following the 20-20-20 rule: look away at something that’s 20 feet away for 20 seconds for every 20 minutes of screen time. If dry eyes are a particular problem, you might want to try these BioActive Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil supplements, which provide relief for dry eyes.

Avoid an eye injury with safety goggles

You only get one set of eyes. Make sure you protect them against injury but donning some safety goggles or glasses whenever there’s a possibility of flying debris, chemical splashes, or dust, like when you’re strimming the lawn or doing some painting.

What not to do

Stop smoking

Smoking doubles your risk of developing AMD (one of the UK’s most common causes of sight loss) and cataracts. The toxic chemicals in cigarettes can also worsen, or lead to diabetes-related sight problems, thyroid eye disease, and optic nerve damage.

Protect your eyes from the sun

You wouldn’t go out in the blazing sun without sunscreen, so don’t forget to protect your eyes from the sun as well. The sun’s ultraviolet UVA and UVB rays can damage your eyes and increase your risk of some conditions, like cataracts and photokeratitis. To keep your eyes protected from the sun’s rays, wear sunglasses that have the CE mark or BS EN ISO 12312-1 British quality standard (which means they provide adequate protection against UV light). Choose a style that gives you as much coverage as possible – think big lenses or wraparound styles.

Sunglasses can be tricky for glasses wearers. If you don’t want prescription sunglasses, you might be able to add a UV-protective coating to your glasses, or your glasses may already have one as standard – ask your optician if you’re not sure.

 Sun hats can also help protect your eyes from the sun – especially if they have integrated UV protection.

Limit your screen time and take regular screen breaks

Too much blue light and screen time can mean eye strain resulting in discomfort, dry eyes, fatigue and headaches. This is partly because we blink half as often when we’re transfixed by a screen. To reduce digital eye strain, try following the 20-20-20 rule: look away at something that’s 20 feet away for 20 seconds for every 20 minutes of screen time. If dry eyes are a particular problem, you might want to try these BioActive Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil supplements, which provide relief for dry eyes.

Avoid an eye injury with safety goggles

You only get one set of eyes. Make sure you protect them against injury but donning some safety goggles or glasses whenever there’s a possibility of flying debris, chemical splashes, or dust, like when you’re strimming the lawn or doing some painting.

Medications & Supplements

Selenium deficiency is common in the UK population because selenium levels in UK soils are low and declining. To get the levels you need, consider taking a pharmaceutical-grade supplement like Bio-SelenoPrecise.

Omega-3s and omega-6s: Fatty acids like those in Bio-Fish Oil help preserve vision, relieve dry eye symptoms, and slow the progression of eye conditions like AMD and glaucoma. Gamma-linolenic acid (omega-6; e.g., spirulina, primrose oil) can alleviate dry eyes and reduce your risk of developing eye conditions like diabetic retinopathy and cataracts.

For dry eye relief associated with screen use, BioActive Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil may help. Always speak with your health professional before starting or changing supplements or medicines.
Bio-SelenoPrecise Bio-SelenoPrecise 200mcg from Dulwich Health 10% OFF
Pharma Nord
Pharma Nord Bio-SelenoPrecise 200µg – High Absorption Organic Selenium, 60 Tablets
£8.50
Pharma Nord Bio-Fish Oil at Dulwich Health 10% OFF
Pharma Nord
Bio-Fish Oil 120 Capsules Omega-3 Heart Health Supplement
£14.95
BioActive Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil 60 Capsules 10% OFF
Pharma Nord
Pharma Nord BioActive Omega 7 Sea Buckthorn Oil – Dry Skin & Eyes
£22.95

Act now for better eye health

Eye health is crucial for our well-being. These ten tips should help you keep your eyes as healthy as possible and reduce your risk of developing some common eye conditions. Don’t wait until it’s too late. It’s really important that you get your eyes looked at regularly, because a thorough eye examination can often spot the first signs of complications. As always, if you’re noticing any sudden vision changes, discomfort, redness, or pain, don’t hesitate to get checked by a health professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I have my eyes examined?

Adults should have an eye test every 1-2 years, even if vision seems normal. Early detection is crucial for conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration.

Do my sunglasses need a specific standard to protect against UV?

Yes. Sunglasses should carry the CE mark or BS EN ISO 12312-1 to ensure adequate UVA/UVB protection. Wraparound or large-lens styles give the best coverage.

Which nutrients are best for eye health?

Vitamin A supports night vision, Vitamin C helps protect against UV damage, Selenium may reduce the risk of AMD, and Omega-3 fatty acids can ease dry eyes and support retinal health. Supplements like Bio-SelenoPrecise, Bio-Fish Oil, and BioActive Omega 7 can complement a healthy diet.

Does smoking really affect eyesight?

Yes. Smoking doubles the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and increases the likelihood of cataracts, optic nerve damage, and diabetes-related vision problems.

When should I seek urgent medical attention for eye problems?

If you notice sudden vision changes, intense eye pain, halos around lights, redness, or loss of vision, seek immediate medical care, as these could indicate serious eye conditions.

Latest Articles