Be it sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, we use our senses to perceive the world around us and interact with it. From learning to completing daily tasks like driving, our most dominant sense is sight. Uncorrected errors associated with the eyes not bending light properly, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are three of the leading causes of vision impairment and blindness across the world (1). However, staying on top of our eye health by implementing effective strategies can help us avoid vision issues or detect and treat them. Click on the links below to learn more.

1. Cataract surgery

Cataract surgery is one of most performed surgeries in the world. Patients and their doctors must make decisions around what lenses and surgery types to go with. Monofocal and multifocal lenses appear equally beneficial for distance vision, but multifocal lenses may be better for near vision (2). There are likely no clinically important differences between standard ultrasound phacoemulsification cataract surgery and newer femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (3).

2. Antioxidant vitamins

Vitamin supplements containing high concentrations of antioxidants are marketed for their benefits in preventing age-related eye disease. Taking antioxidant vitamins doesn’t prevent age-related cataracts or AMD (4;5). However, in those with AMD, antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplementation may slow down the progression of the disease, particularly in people at high risk of having progression occur (6).

3. Vision checks

Check your vision regularly! You can start at home with the help of smartphone apps that give you a sense of your visual acuity (i.e., how clear or sharp your vision is) (7). However, this doesn’t replace regular eye exams with an eyecare professional. The World Health Organization recommends vision screening every 1-2 years for adults over 50 years old (8). With the help of an eye care professional you can identify issues and talk through treatment options, assistive technologies (e.g., glasses) and services, and adaptations (e.g., increasing lighting at home, screen readers).

References

1. World Health Organization. Blindness and vision impairment. [Internet] 2023. [cited November 2025]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment
2. de Silca SR, Evans JR, Kirthi V, et al. Multifocal versus monofocal intraocular lenses after cataract extraction. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016; 12:CD003169. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003169.pub4.
3. Narayan A, Evans JR, O’Brart D, et al. Laser-assisted cataract surgery versus standard ultrasound phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023; 6:CD010735. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010735.pub3.
4. Mathew MC, Ervin AM, Tao J, et al. Antioxidant vitamin supplementation for preventing and slowing the progression of age-related cataract. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012; 6:CD004567. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004567.pub2.
5. Evans JR, Lawrenson JG. Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements for preventing age-related macular degeneration. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017; 7:CD000253. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000253.pub4.
6. Evans JR, Lawrenson JG. Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements for slowing the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023; 9:CD000254. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000254.pub5.
7. World Health Organization. Check your vision with WHOeyes. [Internet] 2023. [cited November 2025]. Available from: https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/whoeyes
8. Vision and Eye Screening Implementation Handbook. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.