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Doctor’s Note

In honor of national nutrition month, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight the importance of certain foods and supplements in the maintenance of good vision. It should be stressed that nutrients are best obtained through the diet and not through supplements. For certain people or disease states however, the only way to properly obtain adequate levels of vitamins and nutrients is through supplementation; and the marketplace certainly provides an abundance of products to suit almost anyone’s needs (and if not needs, then their wants).

Ideally one’s diet should have plentiful quantities of intensely colored fruits and vegetables. Dark leafy greens such as kale, collards, bok choy; carrots, squash; tomatoes and mangoes, all should be included in the daily diet. All these foods contain lutein, a carotenoid. It has been shown to protect against two age-related eye disorders – macular degeneration and cataracts. The yellow pigment in the retina (back of the eye) is made of lutein and another carotenoid, zeaxanthin. This ‘Macular Pigment’ absorbs blue light, a harmful spectrum of sunlight that results in photo-oxidative damage. (Zeaxanthin can be found in bell peppers, oranges, corn and honeydew melons. Some research indicates that at least 6 – 10 mg of lutein be included in the diet daily. (The average American only consumes about 1-2 mg.) An added bonus to taking in lutein is that it may protect against clogging of the arteries.

The AREDS study (Age Related Eye Disease Study) found that taking high levels of antioxidants and zinc can reduce the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by about 25 percent. The high levels used in this study are hard to obtain by diet alone, although diets high in green leafy vegetables and fruits do play a role in reducing the incidence of macular degeneration. Also, a daily specific daily amounts of antioxidants and zinc used by the study researchers were 500 milligrams of vitamin C; 400 International Units of vitamin E; 15 milligrams of beta-carotene (often labeled as equivalent to 25,000 International Units of vitamin A); 80 milligrams of zinc as zinc oxide; and two milligrams of copper as cupric oxide. Copper was added to the AREDS formulations containing zinc to prevent copper deficiency anemia, a condition associated with high levels of zinc intake.

There are numerous eye vitamins available that take their specific quantities and ingredients from the AREDS study. A word of caution to smokers – ingestion of beta-carotene in the AREDS study was linked with an increase in lung cancer incidence. There are now eye vitamins based on the AREDS study without the beta carotene formulated just for people who smoke.

Flaxseed oil and fish oil, alone or in combination, has been shown to improve signs and symptoms of dry eye. Flaxseed oil contains high levels of an omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). During digestion, ALA is converted into two different omega-3 fatty acids — called EPA and DHA. Fish oil contains EPA and DHA omega-3s in their natural form. Therefore, your body doesn’t have to break down ALA into these more readily-used forms, as in the case of flaxseed oil. Some supplements contain both fish and flaxseed oil (Thera Tears Nutrition). Any fish oil supplements should be mercury-free and the eating of fish should be limited to two or three times a week to reduce the risks of ingesting contaminants.

Bilberry is often touted as having a beneficial effect on the eyes. It is claimed that it prevents or cures cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma and night blindness. However, none of these assertions are proven and a lot of further good research needs to be done.

So, to sum it all up, do as your mother probably told you, eat healthy and the benefits will follow.