SATURDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- To prevent injuries to your eyes while playing sports, you need to go pro -- as in protective eyewear, advises the American Optometric Association (AOA). With spring here and more people heading outside for fun and exercise, the association noted that about 600,000 documented sports-related injuries are reported annually in the United States. Roughly 13,500 of these injuries result in permanent loss of sight.

By Dorothy Foltz-Gray, Health
TODAY

From eggs raising cholesterol to cold weather giving you a cold, Health magazine busts the biggest health myths out there.

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Are you as focused on your vision as on sex? Scanning through the long list of posts about sex and sexual health, I think not; yet, our eyes are literally our windows to the world and most of us would rather suffer any other disability than blindness.

Are you as focused on your vision as on sex? Scanning through the long list of posts about sex and sexual health, I think not. Yet, our eyes are literally our windows to the world and most of us would rather suffer any other disability than blindness.

Another important vision issue is age-related macular degeneration (AMD/ARMD); however, there are supplements containing zinc, selenium and lutein that seem to have helped some people overcome, or at least slow, AMD. These same supplements might also help eye health in younger adults. Besides prescription meds to aid eye health, there are doctors who practice homeopathic care. More on AMD/ARMD and treatment: All About Vision http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions... Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/macular...

TUESDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Increasing the administration of antibiotics from annually to twice a year in rural African villages could help reduce serious eye infections that can lead to blindness, a new study suggests.

An ocular strain of the sexual transmitted disease chlamydia causes the contagious eye disease trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. Although it has been eliminated from Western Europe and the United States, it is still common in poor, arid areas such as rural sub-Saharan Africa.

(HealthDay News) - Astigmatism involves distorted vision due to an abnormal curve in the eye's cornea. It's a very common condition, and is usually present at birth.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this additional information:

* Astigmatism often occurs alongside other eye conditions, including nearsightedness or farsightedness.
* It is unclear what causes astigmatism.
* Astigmatism can be diagnosed at a regular eye exam.

SUNDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- As part of its efforts to educate Americans about age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Prevent Blindness America has declared February Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month.

AMD -- a progressive disease that damages central vision -- costs the U.S. economy $570 million a year in direct costs for outpatient and inpatient care, and prescription drugs, the nonprofit group said.