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The 8 Worst Habits for Your Eyes 

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The importance of an annual eye exam cannot be overstated. Not only does it help you keep tabs on any changes in your vision, but it’s a must for detecting the big vision thieves: glaucoma, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), all of which can cause irreparable harm before you’ve even noticed any vision loss, says Michelle Andreoli, M.D., an ophthalmologist at Northwestern Medicine and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

What might not be so obvious when it comes to the health of your eyes are the everyday habits that affect them. Here are eight of the worst habits for eyes — and what you can do to break each of them. 

Bad habit 1: Smoking

Add this to the always-growing list of reasons to give up smoking for good: Cigarette smoke is more than just irritating to your eyes; research shows it also raises your risk of developing AMD, the eye disease that can blur your central vision. People over age 55 are already at risk for the condition, but a large review of studies published in Clinical Interventions in Aging shows that smokers are at a twofold to fourfold risk of AMD, as compared to never smokers. ​​

“Smoking reduces the effectiveness of antioxidants and may deplete these levels in the macula,” the small area at the center of the retina that’s necessary to see things in front of you, explains Ashley Brissette, M.D., an ophthalmologist and assistant professor of ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. “Cigarette smoke also reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the tiny blood vessels that supply the eye, leading to vision damage.” That’s true for those who smoke only occasionally or are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, Brissette adds. The good news? The same review of studies shows that kicking the habit not only reduces the risk of AMD, but after 20 years, the risk of developing the condition is the same as it is for nonsmokers.

Bad habit 2: Staring at your smartphone

Your eyes pay a price directly and indirectly when you stare at that tiny screen — or, for that matter, your computer screen or TV — without giving them a break. According to the American Optometric Association, using any of your digital devices continuously for two hours is enough to bring about digital eye strain.

“The two biggest concerns with onscreen habits boil down to chronic dry eye symptoms and disruption of natural sleep patterns,” Andreoli says. “We’re supposed to blink once every 4 seconds, and in front of the computer, we blink about once every 8 to 10 seconds. That [difference] may sound insignificant, but blinking is what keeps our eyes lubricated. [If] we aren’t lubricating our eyes sufficiently, we develop dry eye symptoms, and that leads to eye strain.” ​​Then there’s the toll too much screen time takes on our sleep patterns. “The brightness of the screen and the activity tells our brain it’s daytime, so we have a tendency not to get appropriately tired,” Andreoli says.

To read about six additional habits that can harm your eyes, from AARP, CLICK HERE.

15 Tips To Keep Your Bladder Healthy

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People rarely talk about bladder health, but everyone is affected by it. Located in the lower abdomen, the bladder is a hollow organ, much like a balloon, that stores urine. Urine contains waste and extra fluid left over after the body takes what it needs from what we eat and drink. Each day, adults pass about a quart and a half of urine through the bladder and out of the body.

As people get older, the bladder changes. The elastic bladder tissue may toughen and become less stretchy. A less flexible bladder cannot hold as much urine as before and might make you go to the bathroom more often. The bladder wall and pelvic floor muscles may weaken, making it harder to empty the bladder fully and causing urine to leak.

While you can’t control everything that affects your bladder, here are 15 steps you can take to keep it as healthy as possible:

Use the bathroom often and when needed.Try to urinate at least once every 3 to 4 hours. Holding urine in your bladder for too long can weaken your bladder muscles and make a bladder infection more likely.

  1. Be in a relaxed position while urinating.Relaxing the muscles around the bladder will make it easier to empty the bladder. For women, hovering over the toilet seat may make it hard to relax, so it is best to sit on the toilet seat.
  2. Take enough time to fully empty the bladder when urinating. Rushing when you urinate may not allow you to fully empty the bladder. If urine stays in the bladder too long, it can make a bladder infection more likely.
  3. Wipe from front to back after using the toilet. Women should wipe from front to back to keep gut bacteria from getting into the urethra. This step is most important after a bowel movement.
  4. Urinate after sex. Sexual activity can move bacteria from the bowel or vaginal cavity to the urethral opening. Both women and men should urinate shortly after sex to lower the risk of infection.
  5. Do pelvic floor muscle exercises. Pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegel exercises, help hold urine in the bladder. Daily exercises can strengthen these muscles, which can help keep urine from leaking when you sneeze, cough, lift, laugh, or have a sudden urge to urinate. These exercises also may help avoid infections by strengthening the muscles that help empty the bladder.

To read about additional tips to keep your bladder healthy, from the National Institute on Aging, CLICK HERE.

What Your Eye Color Can Say About Your Health

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Your eyes are said to be the window to your soul — but they may also be a window to your health. Your eye color may signal a predisposition to certain medical conditions, such as skin or eye cancer. And while actual changes in eye color are rare, they can also indicate an underlying health disorder that needs to be addressed. “Eyes can appear to change color due to an undiagnosed disease, a new medication or even trauma,” says David Silverstone, M.D., a professor of ophthalmology at the Yale School of Medicine. Sometimes, he adds, it’s due to an actual change in the iris, the colored part of your eye, and sometimes it’s due to something going on in another part of your eye that appears to change the eye color.

Here’s a look at what your eye color can mean for your health. 

Can eye color predict your health?

Your eye color may offer some clues about how likely you are to develop certain cancers, or certain forms of eye disease, later on. Here’s what the research shows:

Those with lighter eyes have higher skin cancer risk.

A 2022 study published in Cancer Causes and Control that looked at more than 35,000 men found that, compared to people with dark eyes, those with hazel, green or blue eyes had higher risk of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, two of the most common forms of skin cancer. The men with hazel or green eyes had a 24 percent higher risk of squamous cell carcinoma, while those with blue eyes had a 19 percent higher risk. People who have less pigment in their eyes tend to have less pigment in their skin, which raises risk of skin cancer, says Davinder Grover, M.D., a Dallas ophthalmologist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Not surprisingly, other research also suggests that folks with light-colored irises (blue or green) have a higher risk of developing eye melanoma than those with darker orbs.

People with brown eyes have a lower incidence of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an age-related condition in which a part of your retina, the macula, is damaged. This causes you to lose your central vision, so that you cannot see fine details. It’s the leading cause of vision loss in people age 50 and older. Diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes-related condition that affects the blood vessels in your retina; over time, it can cause vision loss. It may be that pigment itself offers some protection, Grover says. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says those with brown eyes have a lower incidence of both of these conditions.

To learn more about how eye color can predict your health, from AARP, CLICK HERE.

Stand Up Straight: How to Improve Your Posture

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Good posture is an important part of long-term health, according to the National Institutes of Health. Slouching and slumping over can make your spine more fragile and prone to injury. Poor posture can also cause neck, shoulder and back pain. Here’s how to achieve perfect posture that would make your mother proud.

Part One

Stand so that your left side is adjacent to a full-length mirror. Imagine there is a straight line that runs down the side of your body from your ears through your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. Turn your head slightly to see your reflection, or ask a partner to assess you. Now ask:

Where are my ears?They should be directly over your shoulders, not out in front. To bring your ears back: Lift the crown of your head toward the ceiling. Keep your eyes forward, jaw parallel to the floor. Pull your shoulder blades back, as though trying to touch them together.

Where are my hips?

Belly fat and too much sitting cause our hips to tilt forward. Tighten your stomach muscles; push your hips forward so the points of your hip bones are directly below your shoulders.

Where are my ankles?

When your head and belly are out in front and your hips are behind, your ankles will often wind up somewhere in the middle. Your ankle bones should be directly below your hip bones, for proper balance.

To find out about the second important step in assessing and improving your posture, from AARP, CLICK HERE.

Fatigue in Older Adults

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Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy. It can be a normal response to physical activity, emotional stress, boredom, or lack of sleep, but it can also signal a more serious mental or physical condition.

Everyone feels tired now and then. If you feel tired continuously for multiple weeks, you may want to see your doctor, who can help discover what’s causing your fatigue and identify ways to relieve it.

What causes fatigue?

Sometimes, fatigue can be the first sign that something is wrong in your body. For example, people with rheumatoid arthritis, a painful condition that affects the joints, often complain of fatigue. People with cancer may feel fatigued from the disease, treatments, or both.

Many medical problems and treatments can add to fatigue. These include:

   • Having medical treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, or recovering from major surgery
   • Infections
   • Chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, thyroid disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
   • Untreated pain and diseases like fibromyalgia
   • Anemia
   • Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders
   • Recent stroke
   • Parkinson’s disease
   • Taking certain medications, such as antidepressants, antihistamines, and medicines for nausea and pain

To learn about other causes of fatigue in older adults and when it may be time to see a doctor, from the National Institute on Aging, CLICK HERE.

Heart Health and Aging

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How Does the Heart Work?

Your heart is a strong muscle that pumps blood to your body. A normal, healthy adult heart is about the size of your clenched fist. Just like an engine makes a car go, the heart keeps your body running. The heart has two sides, each with a top chamber (atrium) and a bottom chamber (ventricle). The right side pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The left side receives blood rich with oxygen from the lungs and pumps it through arteries throughout the body. An electrical system in the heart controls the heart rate (heartbeat or pulse) and coordinates the contraction of the heart’s top and bottom chambers.

How Your Heart Changes with Age

People age 65 and older are much more likely than younger people to suffer a heart attack, to have a stroke, or to develop coronary heart disease (commonly called heart disease) and heart failure. Heart disease is also a major cause of disability, limiting the activity and eroding the quality of life of millions of older people.

Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels. For example, as you get older, your heart can’t beat as fast during physical activity or times of stress as it did when you were younger. However, the number of heartbeats per minute (heart rate) at rest does not change significantly with normal aging.

To learn more about heart health and heart disease, and what you can do to prevent it, from the National Institute on Aging, CLICK HERE.