Eye Matey!

Have you ever considered why pirates squint their eyes or why they always wear a patch over one eye? Has it ever occurred to you that just maybe they failed to take good care of their eyes. After all the sun can be blinding as one surfs the mighty seas.

You know those pirates could have prevented all those troubles with their eyes if they would have followed a few rules.  You see if we take care of our eyes we can decrease our chances of having more issues later.

According to the National Eye Institute, there are a few things we can do to maintain better eye health. Some of these tips are:

• Know your family eye health history
• Have a comprehensive eye exam
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables…And don’t forget omega 3 fish
• Keep a healthy weight
• Beware of smoking… Just don’t do it.
• Wear the correct protective eye wear even at work
• Protect your eyes from UV radiation by wearing sunglasses
• Rest those eyes

So you say Blackbeard really didn’t have any problems, or at least not the problems we experience nowadays.  So you think the black powder from the flint locks muskets or the reflection of the sun off the water couldn’t have any serious problems for them.  Well just maybe, they did.  And we know they really didn’t eat well.  We have all seen them on TV with their pint of beer and being so plump that we are sure they couldn’t fit through the kitchen door.  And hello!  Has anyone heard of scurvy?

So, as you can see pirates didn’t eat a very healthy diet and didn’t wear any sunglasses.  That almost certainly knocks out most of the list.