If you’ve been wearing glasses for years, you’re probably fairly used to the gradual deterioration of your vision. After all, it’s something of a pattern: each year you visit the optometrist for your annual eye check up and you get new glasses or a new prescription for contacts. It’s so routine, you probably aren’t really even thinking about the real significance of the process“ that your eyes and your vision are slowly falling apart. 

If this sounds alarming, it should be! After all, macular degeneration, clinical or otherwise, can create major problems the older you get. Over time, it may prevent you from driving or even from seeing the faces of your loved ones.

Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to preserve your vision and delay if not avoid entirely the day when you have serious eye problems.

1. Follow all recommended procedures when dealing with contacts.

One of the biggest contributors to macular degeneration is poor eye hygiene when dealing with contacts. Failing to wash your hands or leaving contacts in for extended periods of time exposes your eyes to potential infections that can dramatically impact your vision over time. Remove your contacts and clean them every night, and always use clean hands and approved eye solutions.

2. Get plenty of exercise.

Studies by the American Academy of Opthamology suggest that getting regular physical exercise can decrease age-related macular degeneration (that’s the kind that just happens as you get older) by up to 70 percent.

3. Fortify your eyes with omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega 3 fatty acids, fish oil are an essential nutrient found in fatty fish like salmon, is essential to healthy eyes. It not only makes them more resistant to infections, but it also prevents deterioration of the optic nerves and other parts of the eye over time.

You probably have heard that you should eat your carrots so you can see in the dark, but omega 3 actually has a much more significant impact on your eye health than beta-carotene. Don’t neglect the orange veggies, but also be sure that you are getting a healthy dose of omega 3 each day in order to shore up your vision.

When you’re selecting an omega 3 fish oil supplements, make sure that it is made from salmon oil to eliminate the risk of absorbing toxins like mercury into your system. Many supplements are made from tuna, which are allowed by the FDA contain low levels of contaminants like heavy metals and other pollutants. For more information about a safe, highly optimized omega 3 supplement that will provide you with all the omega 3 you need for an entire day, visit www.omega-3.us.