RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.— VSP Vision Care tapped Bill Nye, “The Science Guy,” to host a series of online videos about eye health and the role of preventive care and nutrition in preserving vision. The VSP EyeFiles(SM) was developed to address common myths about eye health. VSP Vision Care conducted an online survey among eye doctors, asking them to share the most common vision-related myths their patients bring up regularly. Some of the most common myths included that working regularly in front of a computer will harm the eyes (not true, although overuse can result in a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome); wearing glasses weakens the eyes (in fact, eyes naturally become weaker with age); and sitting too close to the TV will harm the eyes (possibly headaches, but not eye damage).
Another area of interest is nutrition for eye health. Nearly 30 percent of doctors reported getting the question of whether eating carrots will improve vision. Not necessarily, although they are a good source of nutrients such as vitamins A and C that may help fight off conditions including cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Roger Phelps, O.D., a VSP provider and co-star of VSP EyeFiles, said a healthy diet is important to visual health. “Developing good eating habits and a balanced diet to maintain proper levels of the important vitamins A, C, E as well as lutein and zinc such as are found in fruits and vegetables will help to lower the risk of some of these serious vision related problems in the future,” he said.
Important nutrients cited by VSP to consume for eye health are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs). Good dietary sources of some of these nutrients include dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, coldwater fish, whole grains and citrus fruits.
The VSP EyeFiles series can be viewed online at YouTube or via the My Eyes tab on the VSP Facebook page.