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June is Men's Health Awareness Month

Men, Vision Health and The Big 5

June is Men’s Health Awareness Month. Five of the most common health issues you face as a male can carry a risk of serious harm to your vision. Learn the ways your vision can be affected by each of these diseases and what you can do to help avoid them:

  • Diabetes - With this diagnosis comes a chance of developing retinopathy, a disease that results when high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in your eyes.
  • Cardiovascular Disease - If you have heart disease, the flow of blood and oxygen throughout your body can be disrupted, including the flow to your eyes. This can lead to temporary loss of vision or swelling in and around your eyes.
  • Hypertension - High blood pressure can damage the tiny blood vessels in your eyes and restrict blood flow to your retina, leading to blurred vision or blindness.
  • High Cholesterol - This diagnosis can restrict blood flow in your veins, including the veins in your eyes.
  • Cancer - As a male, your risk of developing cancer in your lifetime is nearly 40%. Regardless of your cancer’s type, there’s a good chance the treatment can affect your vision. Chemotherapy is known to worsen existing cataracts and chronic dry eye.

Your risk of developing these common health issues and the potential vision complications that may result can be reduced with healthy lifestyle choices:

  • Maintain a healthy body weight;
  • Stop smoking;
  • Exercise regularly; and
  • Eat a healthy diet.

Visit your physician and your eye doctor regularly for thorough check-ups. Have questions about your vision? Schedule an eye exam today.

For more information on men’s health, visit here.

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Useful links:

  1. https://www.humana.com/health-and-well-being/8-health-screening-tests-to-consider
  2. https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/StateEmployee/BeWell/Documents/June2022/Men's_health_member_flyer.pdf
  3. https://connect.bcbsil.com/health-and-wellness/b/weblog/posts/men-healthy-aging
  4. https://www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/mens-health
  5. https://www.healthlink.com/documents/mens_health.pdf
  6. https://www.aetna.com/health-guide/health-advice-for-men.html