 |
| Eating fish once a day can help your eye sight |
A DAILY supplement of fish oil can help save your eyesight, a study has revealed.
The omega 3 acids found in sardines, salmon, tuna and mackerel are highly effective in combatting the world's most common eye complaint.
Experts have long known of the benefits of consuming the poly-unsaturated fat when it comes to preventing cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes.
Now they have discovered it can also improve dry eye' syndrome by as much as 105 per cent.
And because it also boosts contrast sensitivity - an important measure of visual function in low light or fog - it can also get you home safely at night.
The elderly are most susceptible, with around a third affected by the condition and our western diets only exacerbate the problem
The findings come from the Advanced Eye Centre in Chandigarh, India, and were unveiled at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Symposium in San Diego, USA.
Dry eyes affects up to 33% of the population, particularly the elderly. Sufferers experience an itchy, stinging sensation along with pain and a sensitivity to light.
If left untreated the condition can cause long term damage, impaired vision and in some extreme cases, even blindness.
 |
| Omega 3 is present in Salmon |
Dr David Allamby, a laser eye surgeon and medical director at London's Focus Clinic, said: "In the UK, a quarter of patients who visit ophthalmic clinics report symptoms of dry eye.
"The elderly are most susceptible, with around a third affected by the condition and our western diets only exacerbate the problem."
Explaining the science, he said our 'lacrimal' glands, almond-shaped glands found next to the bone on the upper outside parts of the eyes, provide watery tears to create a film across the eyes.
The Meibomian glands in the eyelids need omega-3 fatty acids in order to produce oil which floats across the eye surface of when you blink- acting like cling film, keeping in the tears and reducing evaporation.
Symptoms of dry eye are worsened by activities where the rate of blinking is reduced, like prolonged reading, staring at computer screen, driving, or watching TV. They are also affected by windy, smoky, dusty or air-conditioned environments.
 |
| Sardines are also high in these helpful fatty acid |
Dr Allamby said: "Tear film has a layer of oil which helps keep water on the surface of the eye. If you are deficient in omega-3s, you may suffer dry, uncomfortable eyes.
He said cold water fish "like salmon, mackerel, herring and tuna" were best for boosting omega 3 levels but flaxseed oil supplements were a good vegetarian alternative.
The Indian research involved 60 patients with untreated moderate dry eye disease given either a fish oil capsule containing 1.2gm of omega-3 per day or a vitamin E placebo over a 12 week period.
All patients were also asked to use warm compresses and eye drops.
Improvements were 'statistically significantly greater' in those receiving the omega-3 fatty acid capsules.
Lead author Arun K Jain said: "At the 12-week mark, tear break-up time had increased 105 per cent in the omega-3 group, compared with a 51 per cent improvement in the placebo group.
"Ocular Surface Disease Index scores improved 67 per cent among omega-3 recipients, compared with 27 per cent among those receiving vitamin E.
"Tear film quality increased 50 per cent among those receiving the fish oil supplements, versus 12 per cent for those receiving placebo. "
 |
| The Meibomian glands requires Omega 3 |
Doctor Jain also conducted 'contrast sensitivity testing' and found 'significant improvements' among the omega-3 recipients in seven of eight testing conditions compared to those who'd only had vitamin E.
Dr Allamby added "A contrast sensitivity test measures your ability to distinguish between increments of light versus dark, which is important for our day-to-day sight.
"When you are faced with low light, fog, or glare, the contrast between objects and their background is often reduced.
"So it's clearly essential that you have a good standard of contrast sensitivity when driving at night, where you might not see pedestrians on dimly-lit streets.
"If omega-3 supplements increase your chances of getting home safely, that's surely a reason to start upping your intake."
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus