Eat Your "Sight" Right

Many things affect eye health, from diet, to exercise and make-up. Are your habits sight-friendly?Try eat these......

Sweet potato and roasted beetroot. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, a night-vision booster, while the anthocyanins in beetroot protect against retinopathy (a cause of blindness) by preventing capillaries from leaking.

Turn the heating down. It dries out the air and your eyes. Group a few plants to add humidity.

Regular exercise may help glaucoma sufferers by reducing intraocular pressure, which occurs when the aqueous humour (the liquid between the lens and the cornea) pushes on the eye. In one study, those who walked for 40 minutes four times a week stopped needing medication.

Have blueberries for breakfast. Antioxidant-rich blueberries can stave off age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – the leading cause of blindness in the over-50s. Mix with yoghurt for a real health booster.

Follow your nose. Dilute jasmine essential oil with carrier oil, dab on your arm and sniff. It increases beta waves in your brain, making it more active. You’ll be able to focus better.

Check your blood pressure every month. High blood pressure and diabetes are both linked to blindness, and they both damage blood vessels. You can get tested at your family clinic.

Eat fish– without chips. Or batter. Studies show that people whose diets are high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 (found in ready meals and takeaways) are less likely to develop AMD.

Go for grey. Grey-tinted sunglasses give less colour distortion than amber-tinted.

Bin mascara every three months and other eye make-up twice a year. It’s a breeding ground for bacteria that can cause eye infections.