Healthbeat: Healthy vision: Make it last a lifetime

Taking care of eyes can be a priority just like eating healthy and physical activity. Healthy vision can help keep people safe each day. To keep eyes healthy, get a comprehensive dilated eye exam: An eye-care professional will use drops to widen the pupils to check for common vision problems and eye diseases. It's the best way to find out if glasses or contacts are needed, or any eye-related diseases are in the early stages.

Vision health for all ages

A regular dilated eye exam can check for common eye problems.

* Although older adults tend to have more vision problems, preschoolers may not see as well as they can.

* Just 1 out of every 7 preschoolers receives an eye exam, and fewer than 1 out of every 4 receives some type of vision screening

* The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends vision screening for all children age 3 to 5 years to find conditions such as amblyopia, or lazy eye, which can be treated effectively if caught early.

Some eye conditions can cause vision loss and even blindness. These include:

* Cataracts, a clouding of the eye

* Diabetic retinopathy, which causes damage to the blood vessels in the back of the eye

* Glaucoma, damage to the optic nerve, often with increased eye pressure

* Age-related macular degeneration, which gradually affects central vision

* Other eye conditions, such as refractive errors, which happen when the shape of the eye doesn't bend light correctly, are common problems easily corrected with glasses, contact lenses or laser surgery. An estimated 11 million Americans age 12 years and older could see better if they used corrective lenses, or hadeye surgery, if appropriate.

Nine ways to help protect vision

* Get regular comprehensive dilated eye exams.

* Know family eye-health history. It's important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease or condition, since some are hereditary.

* Eat right to protect sight: In particular, eat plenty of dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale or collard greens, and fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, albacore tuna, trout and halibut.

* Maintain a healthy weight.

* Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home, such as painting, yard work and home repairs.

* Quit smoking or never start.

* Wear sunglasses that block 99 percent-100 percent of ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation.

* Wash hands before taking out contacts and cleanse contact lenses properly to avoid infection.

* Practice workplace eye safety.

Eyes and overall health

Taking care of eyes also may benefit overall health. People with vision problems are more likely than those with good vision to have diabetes, poor hearing, heart problems, high blood pressure, lower back pain and strokes, as well as have increased risk for falls, injury and depression. Among people age 65 and older, 54.2 percent of those who are blind and 41.7 percent of those with impaired vision say their overall health is fair or poor. Just 21.5 percent of older Americans without vision problems reported fair to poor health.

In addition to a comprehensive dilated eye exams, visit an eye care professional if you have:

* Decreased vision

* Eye pain

* Drainage or redness of the eye

* Double vision

* Diabetes

* Floaters (tiny specks that appear to float in the eyes)

* Circles (halos) around light sources; or

* If you see flashes of light

Healthbeat is a weekly spotlight on a wide range of health issues. The information contained here was provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. View the CDC features online at cdc.gov/features.