Do your eyes a favor and eat your green and yellow vegetables. According to the Berkeley Wellness Letter, squash, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, collards and other leafy greens help prevent cataracts and may reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
Cataracts happen when the eye lens grows opaque, often because of lifetime exposure to the sun. Cataract surgery can correct most vision problems by replacing the lens with a plastic one.Age-related macular degeneration (AMC), on the other hand, is the leading cause of blindness in people over 65 and is more difficult to rectify.
This ailment is caused when the macula at the center of the retina breaks down. No one understands why the disease occurs, but new research shows that foods rich in beta carotene and the mineral zinc may play a preventive role.
According to the Wellness Letter, one recent survey found people who ate the most fruits and vegetables from the carotenoid family had almost twice the chance of avoiding AMC as those who ate less. (However, people who eat more fruits and vegetables also tend to take better care of themselves in other ways, so more time and experiments will be needed to pinpoint the exact causal relationship between these dietary substances and eye disease.)
The Wellness Letter warns that because of these new findings, the shelves of health-food stores are filling up with pricey vitamin supplements that are supposedly good for the eyes. They have predictable names with visual terms in them, but have no proven value to eye health and are not recommended.
Instead, the health letter advises consumers to protect their eyes from the sun by always wearing sunglasses and/or a brimmed hat when outside.
A yearly eye checkup is a good idea and a must at the first sign of blurry vision or trouble seeing at night.
While not endorsing specially designed supplements, the health letter does recommend a daily dose of 250 to 500 milligrams of vitamin C; 200 to 800 IUs of vitamin E; and 6 to 15 mg of beta carotene and a diet rich in grains, fruits and veggies.