A feast for the eyes: how to improve your eyesight with food

There are almost two million people living in the UK with some form of sight loss

SIGHT is universally considered the most precious of our five senses, yet few of us seem to realise that what we eat can help to protect it.

 

Many of us assume our vision will naturally begin to deteriorate when we get older.

Yet with the right diet and lifestyle there’s no reason dimming eyesight should be an inevitable part of ageing.

In fact, eye problems such as cataracts, dry eyes and macular degeneration are all affected by the food we choose.

“Some studies suggest that maintaining a healthy diet, including oily fish, nuts, fruit and vegetables in your meals could reduce your eye disease risk in the future,” says Dr Hannah Bartlett of Aston University’s School of Life & Health Sciences in Birmingham.

Here are five top foods that will help keep your eyes healthier for longer.

 

Carrots really can help you see in the dark

CARROTS

Yes, the “see in the dark” vegetable does actually contain components that are important to your eyesight, notably beta-carotene which is converted by the body into vitamin A.

Just one small carrot provides all the vitamin A you need in one day which is vital for the production of rhodopsin, a purple pigment that helps us see in low light.

Without enough rhodopsin it’s not possible to see very well at night, even with a cloud-free sky and full moon.

However once we have adequate vitamin A – other good sources are red peppers, apricots, deep green vegetables and liver – consuming more does not provide further improvements in night vision.

Vitamin A deficiency can also lead to dryness and inflammation of the cornea (the clear covering over the front of your eye) which if extreme and prolonged can lead to blindness.

Worldwide, an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 vitamin A-deficient children become blind every year, half of them dying within 12 months of losing their sight.

 

Macular degeneneration is the leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 and older

KALE

According to the Macular Society, a wealth of research suggests that the lutein antioxidant, found in large amounts in curly kale, may be more effective than other dietary components in reducing the risk of macular degeneration which is the leading cause of age-related blindness in the UK.

A high concentration of lutein, and related compounds zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, are found in the macula region of the retina, where they are known as the macular pigment.

The macular pigment helps protect the back of they eye by filtering out damaging blue UV light from the sun.

By acting as a blue-light filter the macular pigment can protect the cells that are responsible for vision from light damage.

 

Lutein has been shown to have the highest blue-light filtering properties, which is why some experts recommend lutein supplements if you don’t regularly eat green veg.

Getting lutein from leafy green vegetables is the best option, though, as plants contain other useful nutrients such as folic acid, vitamin C and fibre.

Other good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin include spinach, red and orange peppers, eggs, broccoli and sweetcorn.

 

Brazil nuts help reduce the risk of cataracts

BRAZIL NUTS

These nuts are the top dietary source of selenium which is needed to form the antioxidant glutathione peroxidase that is important in protecting the lens of the eye and possibly reducing the risk of cataract.

The nuts are also a decent source of zinc, with one eighth of the recommended daily requirement in a handful (30g).

 

Zinc helps to keep the retina healthy and was one of the nutrients featured in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study carried out over several years at America’s National Eye Institute.

This study found a high-dose supplement of antioxidant nutrients including zinc, lutein and vitamin C (the so-called AREDS2 formula) could reduce the risk of macular degeneration in a population of older adults.

Other good combined sources of zinc and selenium include pecans and sardines.

 

Vegetarians are less likely to suffer from cataracts

KIDNEY BEANS

University of Oxford researchers looking at the link between diet and cataracts found the risk of developing a cataract was nearly one third less in vegetarians, who tend to eat more whole grains, veg and beans, than those who ate more than 100g of meat a day.

“If you’re planning more meat-free meals, beans are a particularly good option that provide protein and also zinc,” says Dr Bartlett.

Beans also have a low glycaemic index, releasing their sugars slowly into your bloodstream, which has been linked to better eye health possibly through reducing levels of inflammation and cell damage in the body.

The red colour of kidney beans indicates the presence of anthocyanins (also present in blackcurrants, blueberries and other purple fruits and vegetables), which may also play a role in protecting cells in the eye and possibly in improving age-related macular degeneration, although evidence is still lacking.

   

Oily fish can help improve many aspects of health

OILY FISH

Fresh and canned salmon, mackerel, sardines and herring are extremely rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fat that is concentrated in the eye’s retina and required for the maintenance of normal vision.

Some studies suggest that having regular meals of omega-3 oily fish, once or twice a week, may help to reduce the risk of macular degeneration.

There’s also evidence that the omega-3s in oily fish can help dry-eye conditions such as blepharitis.

In a study published in the International Journal of Ophthalmology in 2013, patients with dry eyes who received capsules containing omega-3 fats EPA and DHA for three months showed a significant improvement in symptoms.