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| Nutrition And The
Eye |
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| Introduction |
| There
has been a lot of interest in the role of
nutrition and nutritional supplements, such
as vitamin tablets, and their effect on vision.
The main focus has been on how vitamins and
minerals might affect age- related eye conditions
such as age-related macular degeneration and
cataracts. This information explores these
issues. It also looks at the importance of
good nutrition and how the eye can be affected
by it. |
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| The
importance of Good Nutrition |
| Good nutrition
is very important for both your general
and eye health. Good nutrition helps our
body grow, repair wear and tear, protect
against infection and to function properly.
An eye condition called ‘xeropthalmia’,
which is a common cause of childhood blindness
in developing countries, is a good example
of how nutrition and eye health go hand
in hand. This condition is caused by lack
of vitamin A in a persons diet and could
be prevented by eating fresh vegetables,
fat (animal and plant) and protein (meat,
eggs, fish, poultry, milk, yoghurt, dairy
products, nuts, seeds, pulses and grains).
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What might cause Age-related
Eye Disease? |
| There are
many causes for the various different eye
conditions. Sometimes an eye condition can
be related to another medical condition
and some inherited. Much research is being
carried out in various areas of eye health.
Often there is no known cause for the development
of an eye condition. This is known as ‘idiopathic’
A few possible risk factors of eye diseases
are:
Age
Although it may sound obvious, age is the
biggest risk factor in age-related eye disease.
As we get older the changes in our body
processes also affect our eyes. Oxygen is
essential for the human body, but it can
also be harmful. Oxygen can produce ‘free
radicals’ which damage cells or prevent
them from regenerating as they used to.
This cell regeneration process is affected,
as we get older due to free radicals and
other factors. Our bodies do have a natural
protection against the effect of the free
radicals, but under certain conditions this
protection is not good enough. Free radicals
damage the retina, a light sensitive layer
at the back of the eye. They also affect
the lens, a clear tissue found behind the
coloured part of the eye known as the iris.
Te lens helps to focus light onto the retina,
which then sends an image of what we are
looking at to our brain. This is how we
see. Mostly, these free radicals are neutralised
by the body’s defences. Most vitamins
and micronutrients are known as antioxidants
and their role in maintaining eye health
will be explored in this leaflet.
Smoking
Smoking causes harm to the tissues of the
eye and exposure of cigarette smoke is strongly
associated with two important age-related
eye diseases: cataract and macular-degeneration
(AMD). Cigarette smoking increases free
radicals, which accelerate ageing and affects
the body’s ability to absorb and extract
necessary vitamins and minerals from food.
It can also affect appetite; which may result
in a poor diet. These are known to damage
eye tissue and therefore can affect eye
health.
Diet
A good diet, full of fresh fruit and vegetables,
may help protect against macular degeneration
in later life. Some studies have shown that
a good diet can help in preventing AMD and
age-related cataracts.
Sunlight
It has been suggested that eyes can be damaged
by continuous exposure to intense sunlight.
Many studies show that prolonged periods
of sunlight exposure is a risk factor for
the development of AMD. The sun’s
rays have been linked to the development
of cataracts. For this reason it is very
important to reduce exposure of the eye
to sunlight. Sunglasses that offer good
protection from all angles are recommended.
These not only protect from direct sunlight
but also from scattered or reflected light
that can enter the=e eye from above, the
sides or below. Wearing a hat with a good
brim can decrease eye exposure to light
by 30-50% Sunglasses and hats are, therefore,
recommended for children too.
Gender
There is higher rate of AMD and cataracts
among women, possibly because they tend to
live longer than man. There also seems to
be a hormonal influence and it is reported
that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can
reduce these risks. |
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Vitamins
and the eye |
Vitamins, which
contain anti-oxidants, have been linked with
eye health in various studies and clinical
trials. They help to maintain healthy cells
and tissues in the eye.
The main focus has been on the anti-oxidant
vitamins A, C and E. These vitamins can be
found in many sources of fruit and vegetables
such as oranges, kiwis, dried apricots, green
leafy vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, carrots
and spinach.
They can also be found in nuts, seeds, dairy
products and eggs. These are only a few of
the food types an which antioxidant vitamins
can be found. |
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Lutein
and Eye Health |
More recently
it has been suggested that two types of antioxidants,
known as ‘carotenoids’, called
Lutein (pronounced Loo-teen) and Zeaxanthin
(pronounced Zay-a-za-thin) may also help with
eye health.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin can be found naturally
in vegetables and fruit. For example, lutein
can be found in yellow peppers, mango, bilberries
and green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach,
chard and broccoli. Zeaxanthin can be found
in orange sweet peppers, broccoli, corn, lettuce
(not iceberg) and oranges. |
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Once-A-Day
Tablets For Healthy Eyes |
As a result of
various research projects into carotenoids
such as Lutein and Zeaxanthin, there are now
many different vitamin supplements for eye
health on the market.
These are linked in with the eye health and
usually take the form of once-a-day-tablet.They
usually contain the daily -recommended amount
of the vitamins and minerals found to be of
benefit for eye health.
If you are interested in such supplements
then, I-Caps nutritional supplements are available
at Opticare. We do not recommend these if
you are pregnant or currently smoke. |
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Conclusion |
- Eat a good, balanced diet with lots
of fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Discuss taking supplements with your
Optometrist.
- The biggest avoidable risk is smoking.
- Protect your eyes from sunlight. Use
good quality sunglasses i.e. those that
have the ‘CE’ mark, which
means they meet the European Union Quality
Standards. Wearing a brimmed hat also
offers very good protection.· Get
your eyes tested at least every two years
and more frequently if necessary.
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