Vision is one of our most precious senses. Without it the world as we know it would be blank. One of the things that we can do daily to protect our eyes from harm is to be sure that each day we consume the recommended daily intake levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that we need in order to keep our eyes healthy. As with everything about our bodies proper nutrition plays an invaluable role in keeping our eyes functioning as well as possible. There are certain nutrients that are known to be especially associated with ocular health.

Good nutrition is very important for both your general and eye health. Good nutrition helps our body to grow, repair wear and tear, protect against infection and to function properly. An eye condition called ‘xerophthalmia’, which is a common cause of childhood blindness in developing countries, is a good example of how nutrition and eye health go hand in hand. This condition is caused by a lack of vitamin A in a person’s diet and could be prevented by eating fresh vegetables, fat (animal and plant) and protein (eg meat, eggs, cheese, fish, poultry, milk, yoghurt, dairy products, nuts, seeds, pulses and grains).

There are many causes for the various different eye conditions.

Sometimes an eye condition can be related to another medical condition, and some are inherited. Much research is being carried out in various areas of eye health. Often there is no known cause for the development of an eye condition - these conditions are often known as ‘idiopathic’.

A few possible risk factors of eye disease are:

Although it may sound obvious, age is the biggest risk factor in age-related eye disease. As we get older the changes in our body processes also affect our eyes.

Oxygen is essential for the human body, but it can also be harmful. Oxygen can produce “free-radicals” which damage cells or prevent them from regenerating as they used to. This cell regeneration process is affected as we get older due to free radicals and other factors.

Our bodies do have a natural protection against the effect of free radicals but under certain conditions this protection is not good enough.

Free radicals damage the retina, a light sensitive layer at the back of the eye. They also affect the lens, a clear tissue found behind the coloured part of the eye known as the iris. The lens helps to focus light onto the retina which then sends an image of what we are looking at to our brain. This is how we see. Mostly, these free radicals are neutralised by the body’s defences. Most vitamins and minerals can help the body and our eyes to combat the effects of free radicals. These vitamins and micronutrients are known as antioxidants and their role in maintaining eye health will be explored in this leaflet.

Smoking causes harm to the tissues of the eye. Research has confirmed the direct, harmful effects of smoking on eyesight, particularly in the development of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We also know that smoking can make diabetes-related sight problems worse. Cigarette smoking increases free radicals which accelerate ageing and alters the body’s ability to absorb or extract necessary vitamins and minerals from food. Smoking reduces appetite which may result in a poor diet. Poor nutrition also has an adverse effect on eye health. Passive smoking, that is not smoking yourself but breathing in other people’s smoke, is almost as harmful as smoking yourself.

While cataracts are treatable and therefore do not lead to blindness, they remain a major cause of sight loss in the UK. Treatment options for AMD are limited and smokers do not only double their risk of developing AMD, they also tend to develop it earlier than non-smokers.

A balanced diet, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is good for your eye health. Eating a diet low in saturated fats but rich in omega 3 fats and micronutrients derived from green leafy vegetables, fruit, fish and nuts may help prevent and slow down the progression of AMD and age-related cataracts.

Obesity is increasingly being discussed as a risk factor for sight loss. Recent research suggests that obesity may put someone more at risk of developing an eye condition which can cause sight loss, including AMD, cataracts and retinal vein occlusion. In addition, obesity significantly increases the risk of developing diabetes and with it, diabetic retinopathy. Further research is now needed to gain better understanding of the links between obesity and these eye conditions.

It has been suggested that eyes can be damaged by continuous exposure to intense sunlight. Many studies show that prolonged periods of sunlight exposure are a risk factor for the development of AMD. The sun’s rays have been linked to the development of cataracts.

For this reason it is very important to reduce exposure of the eye to sunlight. Sunglasses that offer good protection from all angles, are recommended. These not only protect the eye from direct sunlight but also from scattered or reflected light that can enter the eye from above, the sides or below. Wearing a hat with a good brim can decrease eye exposure to light by 30-50 per cent. Sunglasses and hats are, therefore, also recommended for children

There is a higher rate of AMD and cataracts among women, possibly because they tend to live longer than men. There also seems to be a hormonal influence and it is reported that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can reduce these risks.

In various studies and clinical trials antioxidant vitamins found in certain foods have been linked with eye health. They help to maintain healthy cells and tissues in the eye.

The main focus has been on the anti-oxidant vitamins A, C and E. These vitamins can be found in many different sources of fruit and vegetables such as oranges, kiwis, grapefruit, dried apricots, tomatoes, peppers, raw carrots, green leafy vegetables including kale and spinach, green peas, green beans and brussel sprouts. They can also be found in nuts, seeds, dairy products and eggs. These are only a few of the food types in which antioxidant vitamins can be found.

A deficiency of vitamin A is known to be a major cause of blindness. It makes sense then that the easiest way to prevent blindness (and also prevent cataracts) is by getting the recommended daily allowance of this vitamin. Getting enough vitamin A also helps ensure your eyes can focus in nighttime light. When deficiencies are persistent, a condition called xerophthalmia may develop with its characteristic dry membranes and thickening of the mucous membranes that line the eyelids. This condition can cause permanent blindness as can macular degeneration, another disorder that has been linked to a deficiency of vitamin A.

Very high concentrations of Vitamin C are stored in healthy eyes. It's believed that vitamin C protects the eye from damaging ultraviolet rays. Vitamin C's antioxidant qualities protect the eyes from cell damage, including macular degeneration, by neutralizing free radicals. Vitamin C is also believed capable of preventing glaucoma and alleviating its symptoms in cases where it has already developed.

Vitamin E helps to keeps the mucous membranes of the eyelids lubricated. And it too is considered an antioxidant so getting adequate quantities of this vitamin will help in the prevention of eye disorders and diseases such as macular degeneration and night blindness.

Compared with nonusers, the risk for cataracts is 60 % lower among persons who use multivitamins or any supplement containing C or E for more than 10 years. If you have a family history of cataracts a good multivitamin could help prevent or stall the disease.

Bilbery

Ginko Biloba

More recently it has been suggested that two types of antioxidants, known as ‘carotenoids’, called Lutein (pronounced Loo-teen) and Zeaxanthin (pronounced Zay-a-za-thin) may also help with eye health. Some studies have found that people who have a good diet rich in carotenoids, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin, have a lower risk of developing AMD. Lutein and Zeaxanthin can be found naturally in vegetables and fruit. For example, Lutein can be found in yellow peppers, mango, bilberries, and green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, chard and broccoli. Zeaxanthin can be found in orange sweet peppers, broccoli, corn, lettuce (not iceberg), spinach, tangerines, oranges and eggs. Many of these overlap with food types in which vitamins A, E and C are present.

• eat a good, balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables
• discuss changing your diet or taking vitamin supplements with your GP
• discuss your diet or taking a vitamin supplement with your GP if you believe that your diet may be inadequate
• the biggest avoidable risk is smoking
• protect your eyes from sunlight. Use good quality sunglasses, ie those that have the ‘CE’ mark, which means they meet the European Union Quality Standards. Wearing a brimmed hat also offers very good protection
• get your eyes tested at least every two years and more frequently if necessary.