Shake up your diet and safeguard your sight
We don’t often give much thought to our eyes – most of us take our vision for granted, but what you eat can help protect your sight as you age.
According to vision expert and holistic eye doctor Michel Guillon, two of the three major problems our eyes fall victim to as we age are cataracts – a clouding of the eye’s lens, resulting in blurred vision – and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – which is when the part of the eye’s retina responsible for central vision degenerates. Early symptoms of AMD include distorted or blurred central vision, faded colour vision, and difficulty in focusing sharply. In serious cases, it can lead to blindness.
Smoking, alcohol, genetics and light exposure are all contributing factors that can adversely affect our sight, while obesity increases your risk of diabetes, which in some cases can lead to blindness.
A US study has shown that low-level AMD can be improved with a diet containing high levels of vitamins A, C, E and zinc. Lutein and zeaxanthin are also important antioxidants that help protect your eyes from damage from sunlight, smoking and ageing. And if you suffer from dry eyes, this can be relieved with a few dietary changes too.
Eat more:
Vitamin A – find this in liver, eggs and dairy foods, and beta-carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A), which is found in dark green vegetables and orange fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin C – this is widely distributed among most fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin E – this is found in nuts, seeds, wholegrains, legumes and avocados.
Zinc – this is in meat, fish, dairy foods, wholegrains and legumes.
Lutein and zeaxanthin – these are in dark-green leafy vegetables (savoy cabbage, broccoli, spinach, curly kale) as well as yellow and orange fruits and vegetables including apricots, peaches, honeydew melons, mangoes, oranges, yellow and orange peppers, sweetcorn and pumpkins. Eat tomatoes (cooked or fresh) too as they contain lycopene which helps the body digest lutein and zeaxanthin.
Omega fats omega-6 and omega-3 – these can help if you have dry eyes. Omega-3s are found in oily fish, linseeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and walnuts, while omega-6 can be found in evening primrose oil supplements.
Lifestyle tips
Regular eye tests are essential.
Make sure you have adequate light when you’re reading.
At the computer, don’t sit too close to the screen, and give your eyes regular breaks.
Wear UV light-filtering sunglasses and protect your children’s eyes too.