Cataracts are one of the leading causes of blindness around the world. However, cataracts are also something that can be prevented. There are steps you can take that will prevent you from getting cataracts as you age, or at least help slow the process.

Protect Your Eyes from the Sun

It is important to protect your eyes from the sun. Ultraviolet rays don't just damage your skin, they can also damage your eyes. Excessive exposure to UV rays is one of the many factors that can contribute to the development of cataracts in patients of all ages.

You can protect your eyes from the sun by wearing a hat with a big brim that casts a shadow over your face. You can also protect your eyes from the sun by wearing sunglasses that specifically state that they provide UVA/UVB protection. If you wear prescription glasses, talk to your eye doctor about getting prescription sunglasses that you can wear when you are outside.

Watch Your Diet

What you eat has an impact on your overall eye health. You need to make sure that you are eating lots of vegetables, specifically green vegetables. Green vegetables are full of vitamins that your eyes really need, such as vitamin C and E, as well as beta-carotene and selenium.

If you have diabetes, you need to make sure that you monitor what you eat really carefully and keep your blood sugar within the right levels. Controlling your diabetes through your diet can help protect your eyes and reduce the chance that you develop cataracts.

Visit Your Eye Doctor

Finally, you need to make sure that you don't just visit your eye doctor when you think something is wrong. You need to visit your eye doctor on a regular basis. You should be visiting your eye doctor and getting a yearly check-up, just like how you visit your primary care doctor once a year or how you visit your dentist twice a year. Visiting your eye doctor on a regular basis will allow your eye doctor to monitor the health of your eyes, and to intervene if they are concerned about the health of your eyes. Your eye doctor will monitor not just your eyes, but your overall health, and provide you with ways to improve your health that will also take care of your eyes at the same time.

There are many steps you can take to lower your risk of developing cataracts, which can cause legal blindness. You can eat a healthy diet, protect your eyes from the sun, and work with your optometrist.