Women experience vision impairments and blindness at much higher rates than do men, according to the National Eye Institute and the National Institutes of Health.

Some 314 million people are visually impaired worldwide, including some 45 million who are completely blind. Of the 314 million with sight limitations, nearly two-thirds are women.

Gender Differences for Vision Loss
In the US, this disparity in blindness and vision impairment is generally linked to three factors:

  • Women live longer than men, and consequently are more prone to eye diseases that occur as you age;
  • Women tend to be at higher risk for dry eye syndrome as well as such autoimmune diseases as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, which are known to affect the eyes; and
  • Women living in poverty lack adequate access to healthcare, which includes eye care.

Preventing Vision Loss
Despite these factors, there are steps you can take to make sure your eyes stay as healthy as possible. They are:

  • Stop smoking NOW! Smoking contributes to cataract development and age-related macular degeneration;
  • Avoid obesity, which is a leading risk factor for diabetic eye disease; and
  • Get an annual eye exam with an optometrist or ophthalmologist (the optician is the one who manufactures corrective lenses; the optometrists and ophthalmologists are the medical professionals).

What about Nutrition for Healthy Vision?
Yep, as with every other aspect of your body, what you choose for fuel has a huge impact on how well your systems work. In the case of your vision, you’ll want to focus on carrots and lots of green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, which are packed with vitamins (A,C, and E) key to protecting eye health and avoiding vision loss.

In addition, you’ll want to incorporate good sources of lutein (corn, broccoli, Brussels sprouts), fatty acids (fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and rainbow trout), and zinc, which can be found in lean meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, and dairy products (focus on low-fat dairy to avoid obesity!).

Protect Your Eyes, Avoid Vision Loss and Blindness
Some additional steps you can take to protect your eyes include protecting your eyes from the sun through hats and appropriate eyewear, taking regular breaks from computer work (which is known to cause eye strain), avoiding sharing eye makeup (which may carry bacteria) with friends, and protecting your eyes with goggles when doing work around the house that may send small bits and pieces (drywall, dirt, wooden chips) flying.

What If You Already Have Vision Loss?
Your doctor will be the best resource for what steps to take to provide the healthiest possible outcome for your particular circumstance.  He or she may recommend nutritional and/or environmental changes to your lifestyle. The good news is that there are more and more assistive technologies for vision loss to help provide the greatest level of autonomy and independence relative to your level of vision impairment.

Bottom line: making wise lifestyle choices may help you avoid being one of the more than 200 million women worldwide with vision loss, or help you cope with sight limitations in the healthiest way.