We have waited through a long winter but finally spring has arrived and is starting to win over with warmer temperatures and longer days. Soon summer will fill the sky with bright sun and sunglasses will be daily eyewear.

But for those with diabetes, sunglasses may not be enough protection against the damaging effects of the sun’s rays.

The Joslin Diabetes Center Beetham Eye Institute offers these tips:

* Diabetic eye disease can be painless until it reaches very advanced stages, and the earlier you can catch it, the more likely you can preserve your sight.

* You can have perfect vision and still have diabetic eye disease.

* An annual dilated eye exam can identify eye complications early on.

* If your doctor finds early signs of diabetic eye disease, a number of treatments may be recommended, including laser eye surgery, contact lenses, glasses and medications.

* Keeping your A1C (an average of your blood glucose levels over a couple of months) on target, controlling blood pressure and quitting smoking also can help preserve vision and prevent vision loss.

Don’t put those sunglasses away just yet. The advent of winter doesn’t mean the end of the risk of sun damage to eyes. Although the winter sun may emit lower levels of UV radiation, a snow cover can reflect up to 80% of UV rays, more than doubling their effect. The glare of winter sun can contribute to cataract formation and even cause burns to the cornea resulting in “snow blindness”. Sunglasses need to be more than just dark, they need to block both UVA and UVB rays to protect winter eyes. Wraparound sunglasses are most effective because UV rays can enter the eye from the sides, above and below regular sunglasses.

Additionally, dry heat indoors can lead to dry eyes, a condition that can lead to irritated eyes that may get rubbed vigorously, causing scratches and more irritation. Eye drops that simulate tears can be used to keep the eyes from becoming too dry. Using a humidifier indoors will also help keep the air from becoming too dry.

The air outdoors can also dry out eyes. Often the cold and dry air whips around the face, drying the natural tear film that protects eyes. Artificial tears and sunglasses, scarves, wide-brimmed hats - anything to protect from winter wind - will help prevent this from occurring.

Buy eye protection products at our Golden Agers Store

Foods containing the yellow plant pigments lutein and zeaxanthin may help prevent the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In a study of 1,787 women aged 50 to 79 those who ate more of the foods rich in those pigments had a lower risk of intermediate-stage age-related macular degeneration.

These pigments are found in leafy green vegetables, corn, egg yolks, squash, broccoli, and peas. The results of the study were published in the Archives of Opthalmology, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Archives journals.

The FDA has approved Lucentis, a drug that treats the “wet” type of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people over 60.

In the wet form of macular degeneration blood vessels grow under the center of the retina, distorting vision or destroying central vision. It is less common than the dry type of macular degeneration but accounts for more vision loss than does the dry form of the disease.

In clinical trials, 90% of patients using Lucentis maintained their vision and approximately a third of those taking it over a 12 month period had improved vision.

Lucentis is made by Genentech, Inc.