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Vision Health
I don’t have to tell you how precious your eyes are. You use them every day for almost everything you do—from working at the computer, to driving, reading a favorite book, or just watching the sunset. That’s why it’s important to take steps now to nourish and fortify them.
Unique Eye Health Needs for Women Over 40
It may surprise you that women have more eye health issues than men. It usually begins after age 40, when estrogen levels start to decrease. In my clinical experience, I’ve observed a direct correlation between estrogen levels and eye health—although research has yet to confirm this.
I believe that the lower estrogen levels common in perimenopause and menopause make it more difficult for our eyes to receive the nutrients they need to stay healthy. That’s because lower estrogen levels have a drying effect on all of the tissues in your body, including the collagen in your eyes. And when the collagen that lines the blood vessels in your eyes becomes dryer and thinner, your blood has difficulty delivering nutrients to your eyes. Plus, as you age, years of exposure to pollution, oxygen, and sunlight (UV rays) can affect your eyes.
To support your eyes, I recommend eating a good diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and water. This goes along with eye exercises and regular use of UV-blocking sunglasses. But supplementing with vision-specific nutrients offers one of the most convenient ways to protect your eye health.
In my clinical experience, I’ve found that the right combination of nutrients will help do several critical things for your eyes:
- Fortify them with antioxidants to protect against free radicals
- Promote healthy eye tissue, including the macula, lens and retina
- Promote visual function and acuity
- Maintain the eye’s photoreceptors and retinal lining
- Promote proper lens density.
To learn more about Dr. Lark’s top recommendation for vision health, click here.
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Complete, Replenishing Support for Your Eyes
Phytoestrogens for hormonal balance
As I mentioned earlier, in my clinical experience, I’ve found that estrogen plays a critical role in women’s eye health. While there are no formal studies to support this, I believe that eye health may be affected by female hormonal changes.
Whether you’re in menopause, or approaching it, it’s likely that your estrogen levels are not as high as they used to be. I believe that decreases in estrogen causes drying and thinning of the collagen in the blood vessels in the eyes. The result is decreased circulation, and a weakening of the integrity of the capillaries.
That’s why I recommend phytoestrogens (gentle plant estrogens) to help maintain normal hormone levels as part of healthy vision. Specifically, I’ve found that the plant polygonum cuspidatum contains a phytoestrogen called resveratrol that has a balancing effect on your hormones—which helps to keep the collagen in your blood vessels well lubricated, so nutrients can more easily reach your eyes. As a woman, you need this type of nourishment for your eyes.
Lutein and zeaxanthin to help support visual function
Two of the strongest “powerhouse” nutrients you can take for your eyes are lutein and zeaxanthin. They’re vigorous antioxidants naturally found in the macula of your eyes (the central area of the retina). The amount of lutein in your eye declines with age, and one way of making sure you get enough is to supplement with it.
I recommend lutein because it supports the retinas and the density of the lenses—so they remain healthy. You can think of it as “sunglasses for your retinas”—because it helps filter out UV rays. Therefore, it’s no surprise that lutein is the focus of much research on eye health.
Unfortunately, the minuscule amounts of lutein you get in most multivitamins aren’t nearly enough. I recommend taking 15 mg of lutein and 3 mg of zeaxanthin a day—this is the same ratio that you’ll find in your foods. But you would need to eat 15 cups of leafy green vegetables to get this same amount!
Astaxanthin to reduce free-radical stress in the eye tissues
You need astaxanthin because it’s a “superfood” for your eyes. It’s the only carotenoid (a powerful antioxidant) that’s able to cross both the blood-brain barrier and the brain-retinal barrier to help fight free-radical stress in eye tissues. It has been found to be as effective as vitamin E, and even better than beta-carotene, at protecting against oxidative stress.
Astaxanthin is extracted from algae. It’s a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment responsible for the characteristic pink color of salmon.
Lycopene for powerful antioxidant support
Lycopene, which is found primarily in tomatoes (it’s what gives them their red color), is a member of the carotenoid family, and has potent antioxidant capabilities. It’s one of the most effective scavengers of free radicals found in the body. In a European trial, lycopene increased natural “killer cell” activity by 28% in 12 weeks.
Lycopene is present in high levels within the retina but decreases with age, and one way to make sure you have enough is to supplement with it. Research shows that it’s most effective when combined with lutein.
A powerful vegetable blend to promote good vision and healthy eyes
Diets high in antioxidants are associated with good vision, healthy eyes, and reduced oxidative stress. That’s why I recommend you take a vegetable blend that contains green tea extract, pine bark extract, broccoli, tomato, carrot, spinach, kale, and brussel sprouts. With this powerful blend you’ll get some of nature’s most potent antioxidants, including flavonoids, polyphenols, catechins, anthocyandidins, proanthocyanidins, carotenes, and sulforophanes.
Rutin to strengthen capillary walls
Rutin, a member of the bioflavonoid family, is a type of water-soluble plant pigment. This potent antioxidant helps to strengthen capillary walls. Your capillaries are where oxygen and nutrients are delivered, and waste is removed.
Essential vitamins and minerals for overall eye support
Other nutrients I recommend include:
- Vitamin A (as beta-carotene, not retinal palmitate which in high levels may be associated with certain health risks) for healthy maintenance of macular tissue.
- Vitamin C to help support eye lens and blood vessel health
- Zinc to help promote eye health
- Selenium to help protect cell membranes from free-radical damage
- Copper, an important mineral for increasing antioxidant levels
- Grape seed extract, a powerful antioxidant.
If you’re serious about nourishing and supporting your eyes, you want to take these nutrients. Together they help give you the comprehensive vision support you need as a woman. They will help to protect your eyes from the oxidative stress of sunlight and pollution, help to maintain normal hormone levels which I believe will help your eyes get the nutrients they need, and promote the overall health and structure of your eyes.
To learn more about Dr. Lark’s top recommendation for vision health, click here.
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Overworked? Tense? Spend hours in front of the computer screen? Do your eyes feel achy, unable to focus? Is it hard to see after hours of sewing? Does the print on the magazine in front of you seem to blur?
You may be suffering from eyestrain, a type of ocular stiffness that can occur when you focus on something for a long period of time without a lot of eye movement.
To alleviate eyestrain, make sure you rest your eyes periodically as you're working. Close them and just relax, and then look out the window or on an object far away. Get up and walk around. These small measures will help you to relax your eyes and restore oxygen flow.
Range of Motion Exercise
To help you rest and relax your eyes, try the following exercise:
- Visualize a huge 5-foot clock sitting in front of you.
- Move your eyes in a circle as if you are following the hands of the clock from noon all the way around to midnight.
- Do this five times, and then go counterclockwise five times.
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