Eat Well and Your Vision Can Last a Lifetime
According to research funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, eating the right kinds of foods can reduce your risk of the leading cause of blindness in people 50 years of age and older.
Age-related macular degeneration strikes people of all races and backgrounds, but by eating well, exercising, and not smoking, you can reduce the chances of developing this common, blinding disease.
No matter what your age, now is the time to start eating and living well to preserve your vision.
To keep your eyes healthy, doctors recommend that you:
- Stop smoking
- Eat lots of colorful and leafy vegetables and fruits
- Eat coldwater fish such as tuna and salmon (which are high in healthful omega-3s)
- Lay off the processed baked goods (which are high in harmful trans fats)
If your ophthalmologist determines that you are at risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration, he or she may recommend a special antioxidant supplement called the AREDS formula to help protect your vision.
Research shows that wearing sunglasses with UVA and UVB filters can protect your eyes from damaging rays from the sun. Experts also say that exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are good for your eye health, as are controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol.
Though age-related macular degeneration normally strikes people over 50, other retinal degenerative diseases can affect people at almost any time in their lives. A healthy diet and lifestyle are believed to be beneficial for people affected by these other conditions. If you have a retinal condition, talk to your ophthalmologist about nutritional strategies for protecting your vision or visit http://www.FightBlindness.org.
More than 10 million Americans are affected by retinal degenerative diseases. At hundreds of prominent medical institutions, FFB-funded researchers are achieving remarkable success with a wide range of promising therapies including gene therapy, retinal cell transplantation, pharmaceutical therapies, visual prosthetics, nutritional therapies and clinical trials.
Information provided by Ben Shaberman, Foundation Fighting Blindness.
For more information and resources on macular degeneration and other conditions that lead to blindness, please see the PhillyHealthInfo.org Visual Impairment page.
