Test 5
To check… how well your eyes are ageing
Try... Covering one eye at a time and looking at the
vertical and horizontal lines created by a nearby window frame.
Start worrying if
Any of those lines look wavy or distorted rather than dead
straight.
Covering one eye
at a time and looking at the vertical and horizontal lines created by a nearby
window frame.
Why it works
Because noticing that straight lines are starting to appear
wavy is one of the most common symptoms of macular degeneration, a disease
which mainly strikes people over 50 years of age and is the leading cause of
blindness in Australia.
Take action
See your optometrist. There’s no cure for macular
degeneration, but early detection is vital to prevent as much vision loss as
possible.
Test 6
To check…if you are iron deficient
Try... Pulling your lower eyelid down and assessing the
color of the flesh. Next, have a look under your tongue.
Start worrying if
Both areas are more pale pink in color than a ‘healthy’ red.
Why it works
Because when you’re running low on iron, there’s less blood
flowing through the skin’s blood vessels, and that can make areas of the body
that are usually vibrantly colored look pale.
Pulling your lower
eyelid down and assessing the color of the flesh.
Take action
Don’t start popping iron supplements before being officially
diagnosed with an iron deficiency. It is the most common nutritional deficiency
in Australia. Experts estimate that as many as one in four Australian women are
deficient. But taking iron tablets unnecessarily can cause more harm than good,
so talk to your doctor first. And if you want to pump up how much iron you’re
‘eating’, animal foods (like red meat and egg yolks) are your best bet. The
body absorbs about one quarter of the iron from those foods, compared to
between just two and eight per cent of the iron in vegetables.
