- Our mothers weren't joking about carrots being good for our eyes. So are leafy green vegetables. A balanced diet, said Theodore Leng, MD, of Stanford's Byers Eye Institute, is an important part of healthy eyes.

- Wear a hat or sunglasses or both, Leng advises. Ultraviolet light can cause cancers on the surface of the eye, in addition to skin cancer on the eyelid.

- Ultraviolet light is also a likely impetus for cataract development and may also be a factor in macular degeneration. That condition, very often related to increasing age, is caused by cellular debris that accumulates between the retina and the choroid, another layer of tissue in the eye.

- Knowing the symptoms of retinal detachment can also prevent complete loss of vision. Those symptoms, which are painless, include the sudden appearance of floaters, debris that looks like bits of string or hair or spots. Sudden flashes of light in one or both eyes and a shadow over one area of vision can also mean trouble.

- Talk to your doctor if there is a family history of eye problems. Some diseases have a genetic component.

The Byers Eye Institute at Stanford is home to six specialized care centers. It offers the latest technologies for diagnosis and treatment. Its professional staff includes 25 eye care specialists in all services, including cataract evaluation and surgery, oculoplastic surgery, cornea and external eye disease, glaucoma, and neuro-ophthalmology. It opened in fall 2010 in a $26.3 million building at 2452 Watson Court, Palo Alto.