Sight is probably the most valuable of the 5 senses we have and the one that is most delicate and prone to diseases and degeneration. For many of us, living without our sense of sight is almost unimaginable and impossible to comprehend. Imagine if one day you couldn’t see your friends and family, or read the newspaper, or play games on the internet, or catch the football, or drive your car, or check your facebook and emails. Unfortunately for thousands of people each year, they will lose this very important aspect of their lives and experience deterioration or a complete loss of vision.
Many of us take our gift of sight for granted and don’t realize our risk of developing any eye diseases. Hence, I have listed the 5 of the most common and major eye diseases below with a brief explanation of what they are and their causes.
Cataracts: This disease clouds your eye lens which results in blurry and/or double vision. The exact cause of this disease at the moment is still uncertain, but research suggests that cataracts form as we get older and our risk of developing cataracts increases with ultraviolet light exposure, smoking, alcohol and unhealthy eating habits.
CMV Retinitis: People affected by this disease normally experience blurry vision, decrease peripheral vision and small specks. CMV retinitis is caused by a virus belonging to the herpes family called Cytomegalovirus. Surprisingly, approximately 80% of adults have antibodies to CMV which suggests that 80% of adults have actually been affected by the virus at some point of their lives but have successfully fought it off. This disease mainly affects people with weak immune systems such as people with HIV or AIDS.
Diabetic retinopathy: This is the leading cause of blindness among Americans younger than age 65. As the name suggests, it is a problem commonly for patients with diabetes. Retinal blood vessels break down due to the clogging of significantly high amounts of blood sugar which damages light sensitive cells in your retina which is necessary for good vision.
Glaucoma: Glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight” because this disease typically produces no symptoms or pain until noticeable vision loss and damage has occurred. Vision loss is permanent and there is a progressive decrease in the patient’s peripheral vision. This disease occurs due to a dangerous buildup of internal eye pressure which damages the eye’s optic nerve and prevents proper transmission of visual information to the brain. Internal eye pressure (or ocular hypertension) can be developed by anyone. It however particularly affects people of African-American backgrounds, people with a family history of ocular hypertension/glaucoma, diabetes, people over the age of 40 and people who have experienced trauma.
Macular Degeneration: This disease affects the macular (a part of the retina) which decreases ones ability to see straight ahead and in fine detail. People affected by this may see blurry areas in their central vision or see straight lines as wavy lines. The risk of macular degeneration increases with age, if you’re a smoker and/or have unhealthy eating habits, if you’re overweight or have a family history of macular degeneration. Women in particular have also a greater risk of developing this disease.
Lowering the risk of eye disease development/symptoms of these diseases
Cataracts – To lower your risk of developing cataracts or at least slowing down its progression, it is important to eat healthy foods that are high in Vitamins A, C and E. People with diabetes have been found to be more susceptible to cataracts development and should continue to ensure their sugar levels are stable and go for frequent eye examinations. Research has also suggested that smoking and drugs such as steroids increases the formation of cataracts and should thus be minimized for better overall health.
CMV Retinitis – As CMV Retinitis affects people that have weak immune systems, it is important to ensure your body is at its optimum health. Lifestyle factors have strong influence on your immune systems and it is thus extremely important to have a healthy diet, live an active lifestyle and be smoke-free.
Diabetic Retinopathy – Diabetic Retinopathy can be treated by a process called focal laser photocoagulation where small lasers are ‘shot’ to specific areas around the macula which reduces leaking in the retina. The problem with this treatment is that vision may be saved but vision cannot be restored. Thus, it is important to undertake preventative measures such as getting annual eye check-ups, moderating blood sugar levels, having a healthy diet, exercise and steps to ensure that cholesterol and blood pressure are at its normal values.
Glaucoma – Pills and eye drops are the most conventional method of glaucoma treatment as they help decrease eye pressure. There are also surgery options and laser treatments which helps decrease pressure in the eyes. However, once vision is damaged, it cannot be restored and it is thus important to take preventative measures such as annual eye checkups and optimum eye care. In addition, as people who have diabetes have a higher chance of developing glaucoma, it is important to ensure sugar levels are kept at moderate levels and that one eats a healthy diet.
Macular Degeneration – Research has shown that the presence of Zinc, Lutein, Omega 3 fatty acids, Zeaxanthin and Vitamins A, C and E help lower the risk of macular degeneration development. However, once the disease has reached the advanced stages, there is unfortunately no known medical cure to restore its vision. Thus, to prevent or slow down the advancement of the disease from its immediate stage to the advanced stage, research has shown that a patient needs about 500 mg of Vitamin C, 400 IU of Vitamin E, 25 000 IU of Vitamin A, 80 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper as cupric oxide daily. Though this amount of intake is almost impossible to achieve, supplements and specialized vitamin products can help boost a person’s daily intake of these important vitamins and minerals.
As you can see, believe it or not, one of the biggest influences in the development and progression of eye diseases is the lack of proper diet and nutrition. The best preventative action you can take to ensure that your eyes remain healthy is just simply ensuring you eat the right food and the right nutrients. By consuming the right vitamins and nutrients for your eye, you can lower your risk of developing any of these diseases and prevent sight degeneration. In general, we all need anti-oxidants to help prevent these diseases, improve our immune system and lower our risk of developing conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases. However, there are certain vitamins and minerals that have been shown to be particularly important to optimum eye health and I have summarized them below:
Vitamin A – This antioxidant helps prevent night blindness and reduces the risk of both macular degeneration and cataracts. The Daily Value (DV) (ie. The daily recommended intake of Vitamin A) is 5000 International Units (IU) and can be found in the following foods:
•1 raw carrot (7.5 inches long) – 20,250 IU
•3 oz of chicken liver – 13,920 IU
•1 cup of milk – 305 IU
•1 cup of mango – 5,425 IU
•1 cup raw spinach – 2,015
•1 peach – 525 IU
•I medium egg – 280 IU
Vitamin C – Vitamin C helps ensure that your immune system remains strong and therefore helps reduce the risk of CMV Retinitis development. It also helps reduce the risk for macular degeneration and its progression and cataracts formation. The DV of Vitamin C is 75mg and can be found in the following foods:
•1 full orange – 70mg
•1 cup of capsicum – 80mg
•1 cup of strawberries – 82 mg
•1 cup of raw broccoli – 66 mg
Vitamin E – Not only is Vitamin E known to help combat the risk of the development of Alzheimer’s, coronary heart disease and cancer, Vitamin E helps combat the growth of cataracts and its development. The DV of Vitamin E is 30 IU and can be found the following foods:
•1 Tbsp of wheat germ oil – 26 IU
•1 oz of dry roasted almonds – 7.5 IU
•1 medium mango fruit – 2.3 IU
•1 oz of dry roasted peanuts – 2.1 IU
•I cup of spinach – 1.7 IU
Zinc – This minerals help in the oxidation process and supports the body’s absorption of important antioxidants to help decrease the risk of eye disease development. The recommended DV of Zinc is 16mg and can be found in the following foods:
•1 chicken leg – 2.7mg
•1 cup of low fat yogurt – 2.2mg
•1 oz of cashews – 1.6mg
•3 oz of Beef tenderloin – 4.8mg
•1 chicken breast – 2mg
Selenium – Similar to Zinc, Selenium helps in the oxidation process and ensures that the body absorbs its daily required amount of antioxidants for the prevention of diseases. The DV of Selenium is 70 mg and they can be found in the following foods:
•3 oz of oil canned tuna – 67 mg
•3 oz of beef liver – 48 mg
•1 cup of noodles – 35 mg
•1 chicken breast – 48 mg
•1 cup of Spaghetti with meat sauce – 25 mg
•2 slices of enriched white bread – 14 mg
Comparing the recommended daily values of these vitamins and minerals to the amount that are actually contained in foods, it is easy to see why many people end up experiencing a deficiency in a nutrient. For a person who has an eye disease and wishes to slow down its progression, he/she may need to consume a minimum of 2 cups of noodles, 5 chicken legs, 4 oz of dry roasted almonds, 1 full orange and a cup of mango everyday. This is not taking into account the minimum daily recommended intake of 6 servings of carbohydrates, 1 serving of protein and fats, 2 servings of dairy and fruit, 5 servings of vegetables and other important vitamins and minerals such as omega 3, iron, calcium, iodine and copper. Thus, for a regular person, consuming enough vitamins and minerals in conjunction with a healthy balanced diet may be quite a challenge. Thus, I have outlined a few simple ideas on how to achieve this and ensure that your eyes are experiencing optimum care.
•Remember how your parents used to tell you that if you ate carrots you would grow up having super amazing eyesight? Well it turns out there is some truth in that! Add carrots into everything. Slice them, grate them or eat them raw. Carrots are great in salads, sandwiches, stir-fry or as dippers for an afternoon snack.
•Eat an orange everyday, or squeeze them into fresh juice and pop a couple of ice blocks into it. They taste great and are extraordinarily refreshing. This can be done to mangoes as well.
•Use wheat germ oil for cooking as a substitute to your regular vegetable oil.
•Beef tenderloins and canned tuna are great to up your daily intake of protein, selenium and zinc. Canned tuna is particular great for salads, a quick grab-and-go-lunch item and an afternoon snack.
•Choose noodles over rice when cooking a meal.
•If you are still finding it hard to consume enough food for your daily recommended intake of vitamins and minerals, taking supplements is a great and easy way of ensuring that your body and eyes receive the important nutrients it needs on a daily basis. I just need to stress the fact that supplements are not drugs and are just simply important vitamins and minerals condensed into a capsule-like form. They should not replace a healthy diet or a healthy active balanced lifestyle. Taking supplements will ensure that any nutritional voids or deficiencies are taken care of and are extremely complementary to the provision of optimum eye care and health.