Your eyes open a passageway from the outside world to your brain. Light coming into your eye must pass through the lens, a biconvex structure that bends the light to focus it on the retina, which is on the back inner wall of the eye. The image of the visual field that is projected onto the retina is upside-down and your brain re-orients the image. The seven million cone cells in the retina of each eye are divided into three types that detect either red, blue, or green wavelengths of light. Your eyes send the information about color from these cone cells to your brain, which processes the visual image into a rainbow of colors. Researchers believe humans can see one to 10 million shades of color. Your retinas also have about 100 million rod cells—cells that are extremely sensitive to ambient light and help you to see in the dark. The eyes need proper nutrition and protection from mechanical and chemical insult. Carotenoids (pigments found in plants) are vital to eye health. Lutein and zeaxanthin are the most important carotenoids for the retina. Other nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and citamins C and E may help protect against degenerative vision problems. Not smoking, wearing sunglasses, and getting yearly eye exams are important steps in maintaining healthy eyes.
Blue Light and UV: How to Protect Your Eyes Indoors and Out
Specially designed light-filtering glasses can effectively protect our eyes from the harmful effects of blue and UV light.
Alternative Ways to Retrain Our Eyes and Improve Vision
Some optometrists are shifting their focus from glasses and surgery to improving eye function to address eye fatigue and blurry vision.
How Hormone Changes Affect Your Eyes
Hormonal fluctuations can cause dry, itchy, burning eyes, especially during perimenopause.
What Your Eyes Can Tell You About Your Stress Level
Stress hormones such as cortisol can trigger conditions from dry eye to glaucoma.
Common Erectile Dysfunction Drug Linked to Higher Glaucoma Risk
Long-term users may benefit from eye monitoring, especially those at risk of glaucoma.
How Exercise Helps Protect Against Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, and Other Eye Diseases
Exercise boosts blood flow, brain-eye communication, and stem cell repair in the eyes.
While You Sleep, Your Eyes Are Cleaning Waste
The eyes run an overnight waste-clearance operation, and it's largely affected by how you sleep.
A Colorful Bowl Packed With Eye-Protective Nutrients
This grain bowl with zucchini and kale is rich in nutrients that help protect your eyes from everyday damage.
What Sunlight Can Do for Your Retina
Research shows daily sunlight exposure can prevent myopia in children and protect against cataracts and glaucoma in adults.
The Foods That Feed Your Eyes
A healthy diet provides nutrients that protect delicate eye tissues, filter harmful light, preserve the retina, and regulate intraocular pressure.
How Aged Cells Revert to Stem Cells to Repair the Body
The body may have a hidden tissue repair trick up its sleeve.
How to Make a Soothing Eye Mask to Help You Sleep
Dried herbs and rock salt come together in an easy, fragrant DIY eye pillow for moments when your senses need a reset.
Your Eyes Can Reveal Signs of Disease Throughout the Body
There are 273 diseases with signs that can appear during an eye exam.
The Hidden Causes of Eye Bags: 3 Types and Natural Ways to Reduce Puffiness
Aging, lifestyle, and other factors can cause the area around our eyes to appear puffy and swollen.
80-Year-Old TCM Practitioner Shares Daily Routine for Healthy Eyes
TCM expert Hu Naiwen can still read small print without reading glasses by adhering to a unique set of eye-care practices.
A 10-Minute Eye Exercise for Better Eye Function
Four functions help keep the eyes healthy. How do you improve them?
From Dry Eyes to Bleeding Gums: Manuka Honey’s Potential Health Benefits
New research suggests manuka honey may have benefits beyond its well-known wound-healing reputation.
Migraine Drugs May Cut Glaucoma Risk, New Study Finds
A recent study found that CGRP inhibitor drugs were associated with a lower risk of developing glaucoma.
The Real Reason You’re Losing Your Senses—and What to Do About It
The decline of the senses is seldom random and often far more reversible than most patients believe.
The Hidden Damage to Your Eyes—and 4 Simple Ways to Protect Your Vision
Proper diet, nutritional supplementation, and specific exercises can help keep the eyes healthy.
2 Herbal Remedies That Help Refresh Your Eyes
Traditional Chinese medicine herbs and healthy lifestyle habits support eye health.
When Eye Floaters Are Harmless—and When They Signal a Serious Problem
A sudden increase in floaters, seeing flashes of light, and obstructed vision signal an immediate need to seek medical care.
Myopia: 2 in 5 People Are Affected–Here’s How to Slow Progression
A 2020 study found the average progression rate was -0.40 diopters per year in children whose myopia progressed.
Dry Eyes Aren’t Just Uncomfortable—They Can Damage the Cornea
Left untreated, dry eye syndrome can cause damage—adjusting your indoor environment can help.
Presbyopia: Common Vision Condition in People Over 40—Here Are the Causes
Presbyopia affects nearly everyone as they age, not just people with existing vision issues.
From Migraines to Macular Degeneration: How Everyday Choices Protect Your Vision
Targeted lifestyle and nutritional changes can alleviate the burden of vision loss and migraines.
Shielding Vision From Screen Strain: Superfoods That Nourish the Macula
Simple food choices may support lasting vision.