Sunday, February 14, 2010

Care for the Heart is Care for the Eyes

Today is Valentine's Day. What could be a better topic for today than heart health?
I often say that the best thing you can do to take care of your eyes is to take good care of your heart. By keeping your blood pressure controlled, keeping a watch on your cholesterol levels and by watching your weight - you can reduce your chances of eye disease. If that sounds crazy to you, let me explain:
The eyes are very active organs. They constantly receiving light images and sending impulses to the brain. This constant activity uses a lot of energy so the eyes need a lot of oxygen and nutrients, which all comes from the bloodstream. So the eyes have a lot of blood vessels, which are supplied by the HEART.
In addition to bringing oxygen and nutrients to the eyes, these blood vessels take away the carbon dioxide and other waste materials. Macular Degeneration is primarily caused by a build up of these waste materials.
So basically when the heart is healthy, it can do a good job. And when it does its job well, our
eyes get what they need and get rid of what they don't need. This helps protect us against glaucoma, macular degeneration and other eye diseases.
On this Valentine's Day do your eyes a favor and take care of your heart.
Happy Valentine's Day!