Prevention

You can't prevent farsightedness, but you can help protect your eyes and your vision. Follow these steps:

• Have your eyes checked. Regardless of how well you see, have your eyes checked regularly.
• Control chronic health conditions. Certain conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can affect your vision if you don't receive proper treatment.
• Recognize symptoms. Sudden loss of vision in one eye, sudden hazy or blurred vision, flashes of light, black spots, or halos or rainbows around lights may signal a serious medical problem. Seek immediate medical care if you experience any of these signs or symptoms.
• Protect your eyes from the sun. Wear sunglasses that block ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This is especially important if you spend long hours in the sun or are taking a prescription medication that increases your sensitivity to UV radiation.
• Eat healthy foods. Maintain a healthy diet that contains plenty of fruits and vegetables. A diet containing these foods is necessary to maintain a healthy retina, and likely slows the progression of macular degeneration. Eat dark leafy foods and bright-colored fruits and vegetables, such as spinach, kale, carrots, yams and cantaloupe.
• Don't smoke. Smoking can adversely affect your eye health. Smoking is one of the most important preventable risk factors for developing macular degeneration.
• Use the right glasses. The right glasses optimize your vision. Having regular exams will ensure that your eyeglass prescription is correct.
• Use good lighting. Turning up the lights can improve contrast and help you see better.