The very best thing that you can do to keep your eyes young and your vision sharp is to practice prevention. Investing a little attention in your eyesight now will go a long way toward keeping it healthy in the future. Here's what the experts recommend.

Look for yellow, orange, and green. Wayne Fung, M.D., an ophthalmologist at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, recommends that women munch on fruits and vegetables rich in beta carotene. The betacarotene is important for good eye health, and eating fruits and vegetables adds fiber, which is important to your overall health. Good choices include papaya, mango, kale, Swiss chard, pumpkin, broccoli, and spinach, he says.

Check your chance of cloudiness. As your eyes age, the protein material in your lens may begin to cloud subtly at first, like adding drops of milk to a glass of water, one at a time. Getting annual eye examinations during your middle aged years will diagnose cataracts early, before they begin to significantly interfere with your driving ability, sports and hobbles, and reading, Dr. Greenburg says.

Don't let blindness sneak up on you. Perhaps the most important reason for regular eye exams is glaucoma screening. When pressure builds behind the eye, damage can occur to the optic nerve, which can lead to blindness. Since there are no symptoms, an examination is your only path to early detection. If you have suffered a significant eye injury at any time during your life, or if you have blood relatives with glaucoma, you're at higher risk for glaucoma developing during middle age, says Dr. Jeffers.

Protect your peepers. As you lead your busy, active life, make sure that your eyes have the protection they need. Wear impact resistant sunglasses or safety glasses that protect your eyes from injury as well as guard against ul traviolet rays. Wear a wide brimmed hat while gardening, golfing, or watching sporting events in the sun. And if you're a weekend handywoman, be sure to wear eye protection while you I re swinging that hammer.

Entwine with twine. Dr. Fung warns against a common travel related eye injury from an unlikely source: bungee cords. It seems that women stretch the handy cords tightly around luggage or across skis on their roof racks. If one end snaps loose, it can fly very quickly into your eye, doing significant damage, he says.