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Just imagine what it would be like to read with more clarity, and be able to focus your eyes better and see the leaves on the trees without squinting! How about reading a book without discomfort?

We live in a time where we can correct many eyesight problems with professional help. For people with problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, there are eyeglasses, contact lenses, LASIK and refractive surgery options.

Today, I’d like to share some other options, as well as some controllable lifestyle factors that can help you protect your eyesight naturally.

In particular, you should focus on retinal and macular health, light and dark adaptation, eye fatigue and strain, and crispness of vision. Maintaining eye comfort and moisture is also important.

Here are some valuable tips:

1. Add saffron to your recipes.

Saffron may improve retinal sensitivity, color perception and visual contrast, according to studies on supplements. You can add this yellow spice to rice, soup and sauce recipes, and even marinades.

2. Consume more fresh spices.

Carotenoids are natural dyes that impart orange color to fruits and vegetables. Two potent ones are lutein and zeaxanthin, which sweep away poisonous free radicals before they harm your eyes.

Foods rich in lutein include fresh spices like basil and parsley. Other foods include leek, spinach, red peppers and kale.

3. Limit or eliminate smoking.

Smoking damages the eyes and may lead to blindness because of macular degeneration and cataracts. If you’re smoking a pack a day, even cutting that in half would help! Smokers also need additional Vitamin C because nicotine is a “drug mugger” of C.

4. Control blood sugar.

Having hyperglycemia is a known risk factor for many eye problems, including a condition where the high blood sugar (which acts like an acid wash) causes damage to the capillaries of the light sensors in the back of the eye (the retina). It’s called diabetic retinopathy.

Hyperglycemia also contributes to glaucoma. Managing blood sugar through diet, exercise and herbal supplements is ideal. This topic is covered extensively in my book Diabetes Without Drugs.

5. Try tinted plastic reading sheets.

There are many brands of reading filters available online, and the most useful colors are orange, yellow, blue and red.

The sheets are placed on top of any reading literature (magazine, newspaper, novel, journal, etc.), and they reduce the harshness of bright paper.

They may help with conditions that affect reading such as dyslexia, color blindness and/or autism-related reading issues.

6. Invest in good eye vitamins.

Shamefully, the ingredients known to help eyesight are often put into commercial brands that don’t bother to encapsulate the ingredients in acid-resistant capsules — a process known as enteric coating.

If it doesn’t make it to your intestines because it degraded in your stomach acid, it’s not doing you any good. So, check your brand and/or upgrade it.

Medications to treat eye conditions are always an excellent choice, so continue taking whatever your ophthalmologist has prescribed. If we take good care of our maculas, corneas and retinas now, we’ll have them for a lifetime.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit SuzyCohen.com.