How dark is your room at night? For me, not so much. I'm a little afraid to admit it but I might be, um, just the teensiest bit afraid of the dark ... hey, you, stop laughing! I'm serious. It goes back to my childhood when I watched the episode of Little House on the Prairie where Mary woke up and discovered she was blind. Ever since then, I need to have a little bit of light in my room when I sleep so that when I wake up, I can see something and prove to myself that, yet again, I woke up with my eyesight intact.

But as it turns out, you--and I--should be sleeping in total darkness most nights. It not only helps maintain a deep sleep but it can reduce our cancer risk too, according to Dr. Mercola. Why? It all comes down to your levels of Melatonin, which is affected by how much light you see. Melatonin, in turn, plays a role in Estrogen secretion, which plays a role in cancer, particularly breast cancer. In fact, totally blind women have a 36% less chance of developing cancer than those who aren't blind or who are visually impaired.

Dang. I guess this means I have to give up the nightlight.

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New research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that eating too many simple carbs (like white bread, pasta, cakes and cookies) can raise blood glucose levels and play a role in the development of age-related macular degenerations, which can cause blindness. To make sure your vision stays rosy, replace simple carbs with complex carbs.

Here's a few examples:

• Instead of white bread, choose mixed grain, whole wheat or rye bread.
• Stay away from pretzels and choose popcorn for the fiber.
• Brown or wild rice is always a better choice than white rice.
• My favorite, a baked sweet potato is better for many reasons ... don't go for the regular baked potato.
• Instead of rice cakes, choose whole wheat crackers -- there's a number of new products available these days.
• Instead of regular pasta, choose multigrain pasta ... once you get use to it, you'll appreciate the added flavor. And you'll wonder why they ever invented white pasta anyway.

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If it's not already on your Turkey Day menu, you might want to consider whipping up some pumpkin delights for your holiday guests. Nutrition experts say a little pumpkin in your diet could help ward off everything from cancer to blindness.

The low-calorie pumpkin -- also rich in vitamin A, potassium, and fiber -- is a known Superfood with super powers that can help save your sight, lower your blood pressure, even help you drop those unwanted pounds. Both fresh and canned pumpkin work wonders but the canned variety is the most nutritious since canning allows for the preservation of vitamins.

Are your recipe wheels turning? If so, aim for dishes that combine the healthiest of ingredients and minimal amounts of sugar.

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It's odd to lump spinach and eggs in the same "healthy food" category, but a recent bout of research concluded that two nutrients found in eggs and spinach can offer blindness protection in the elderly.

Macular degeneration (MD), which affects 1.2 million older Americans, is irreversible and there is little hope of recovery once it has set in. As the saying goes, though, an ounce of prevention can be worth a lot.

In this case, the nutrients known as lutein and zeaxanthin -- which give many fruits and vegetables that yellow color -- may be the ticket for preventing the onset of MD as much as possible. Now, didn't I just see that banana?

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You can add yet another item to the ever-increasing list of health problems that result from smoking. According to scientists, the risk of late age-related macular degeneration (thinning in part of the retina that causes partial blindness) is higher for those who smoke, or have smoked in the past.

In fact, current smokers are four times more likely to develop the condition than their non-smoking counterparts, and former smokers were three times more likely than those who never picked up the habit.

I have the feeling that, before long, scientist will prove that cigarettes are actually full of malignant little demons that run around your body, destroying everything can find.

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A recent study published just this week concluded that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids (which include DHA and EPA) may indeed protect the human eye's blood vessels from overgrowing.

As such, blindness that occurs in the eye due to abnormal tissue and vessel growth could be avoided if these fatty acids were regularly consumed. Many people I know take flax seed oil or fish oil to get the proper amount of these fatty acids every day, and from the results of this study, those people will probably have good eyesight for a very long time.

In addition to the general health and heart benefits omega-3 fatty acids have, promoting healthy eyes is just another arrow in the quiver of these products. If you're not taking omega-3 supplements or eating a lot of fish, what's stopping you?

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You've probably heard it all your life -- carrots are good for your eyes because of the beta carotene that gives them their bright orange color. In the past studies have shown that taking beta carotene supplements help to prevent or lessen the severity of macular degeneration -- the leading cause of blindness in people over age 65, but today there is information that beta carotene might not be helping at all. It was a big study (over 21,000 men), and it found no difference between those who took beta carotene and those who took a placebo as far as their risk for developing macular degeneration. So which information is right?

At this point doctors are just saying to eat a variety of foods to ensure a complete balance of nutrients, and in the meantime they'll continue researching.

But one question: why did they study only men?

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Did you know that smoking caused blindness? In the UK, where 20% of young women and 15% of young men smoke, only 2% of those smokers know that their habit increases their risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) -- the number one cause of sight loss.

However, when young smokers are aware of this side effect, they fear it more than any other. 90% of young smokers interviewed in a recent survey said they'd give up smoking at the first sign of vision loss, and -- while they rated their fear of lung cancer at only 3 out of 5, the smokers rated sight loss at 4 out of 5.

Smoking and AMD were linked conclusively in 2005, in findings that showed smokers to be twice as likely to develop the condition.

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