Happy 2019!  The start of the New Year is a great time for reflection on the past and creating a vision for the New Year – it is the one time of year when we can truly start fresh! 

There are lots of stats floating around out there about how many of us make resolutions and how many actually keep them; unfortunately most agree that less than 10% of us follow through with them.  Here are some tips on how to make them stick:  https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/resolution.aspx

I recently saw a list of the most common New Year resolutions and immediately realized that these resolutions are not only great for our entire body, but they are especially good for our eyes too!  Here’s the top of the list.

1. Diet or eat healthier (71%) – A healthy diet is crucial for properly functioning organs, especially the eye.  People with diets that are elevated in fat and cholesterol and low in antioxidants and green leafy vegetables are thought to be more likely to develop macular degeneration (macular degeneration is the number one cause of blindness for people > 60 years of age in North America) and several vascular related eye conditions like diabetes and strokes causing vision loss.

2.  Exercise more (65%) – exercise improves our cardiovascular health and increases our body’s ability to deliver oxygen to its tissues. Exercise reduces stress and also blood pressure, which is an independent risk factors for several vascular related eye conditions because it causes narrowing of the delicate blood vessels that nourish our sensitive retinas.  

3.  Lose weight (54%) - Overweight and obese individuals are at an increased risk for vision loss from diabetes, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Other conditions such as retinal vein occlusions, stroke causing vision loss, and thyroid-related eye diseases have also been linked to obesity.

4.  Quit Smoking (21%) – Unfortunately smokers are picked on for many eye conditions including cataracts at early ages, increased risk of diabetic associated complications, macular degeneration, strokes, thyroid complications, etc…  But the Good News is that nearly ALL studies show that it’s never too late to gain the benefit of smoking cessation!

We wish you and your family a happy and healthy 2019 (and hope you found a little extra motivation to pursue a healthy lifestyle changes this year)!   

By Dr. Heath Holliday