Nutrients and Supplements

Delicate and exposed to the environment, our eyes provide us with one of the main senses for everyday life. This combination of fragility and importance makes maintaining eye health a priority for everyone.

Even more so at a time when excessive exposure to screens emitting blue light is a reality for people of all ages.

Most Common Eye Diseases

The eyes are subject to a variety of diseases, but two of them are most common, affecting large portions of the population throughout life: AMD and cataracts.

ADM

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that can blur your central vision. It happens when aging causes damage to the macula — the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision. The macula is part of the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye).

AMD is a common condition — it’s a leading cause of vision loss for older adults. AMD doesn’t cause complete blindness, but losing your central vision can make it harder to see faces, read, drive, or do close-up work like cooking or fixing things around the house. 

AMD happens very slowly in some people and faster in others. If you have early AMD, you may not notice vision loss for a long time. That’s why it’s important to get regular eye exams to find out if you have AMD, click here to request an appointment!

AMD Symptoms

Macular degeneration symptoms usually develop gradually and without pain. They may include:

  • Visual distortions, such as straight lines seeming bent,

  • Reduced central vision in one or both eyes,

  • The need for brighter light when reading or doing close work,

  • Increased difficulty adapting to low light levels,

  • such as when entering a dimly lit restaurant,

  • Increased blurriness of printed words,

  • Decreased intensity or brightness of colors,

  • Difficulty recognizing faces.

Preventing AMD

It’s important to have routine eye exams to identify early signs of macular degeneration. The following measures may help reduce your risk of developing dry macular degeneration:

  • Manage your other medical conditions. For example, if you have cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure, take your medication and follow your doctor’s instructions for controlling the condition.

  • Don’t smoke. Smokers are more likely to develop macular degeneration than are nonsmokers. Ask your doctor for help to stop smoking.

  • Maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. If you need to lose weight, reduce the number of calories you eat and increase the amount of exercise you get each day.

  • Choose a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Choose a healthy diet that’s full of a variety of fruits and vegetables. These foods contain antioxidant vitamins that reduce your risk of developing macular degeneration.

  • Include fish in your diet. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, may reduce the risk of macular degeneration. Nuts, such as walnuts, also contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Researchers looked at whether Omega 3 fatty acids can help prevent or slow the progression of AMD. They found that taking omega 3 supplements for periods up to 5 years did not reduce the rate of progression from early to advanced AMD or reduce vision loss, compared to a placebo.

Cataracts

Cataracts block vision by making the lens of the eye opaque and difficult to look through, causing cloudy vision.

Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss and blindness in the world.

While there is no non-surgical cure for cataracts, according to studies, several foods and nutritional supplements appear to slow the progression of this sight-threatening eye condition in some people

SYMPTOMS

As light rays cannot fully reach the retina where the photosensitive receptors are located, cataract sufferers have difficulty seeing clearly.

At the beginning of the problem, the person sees as if the lens of the glasses is cloudy or as if there is a fog in front of the eyes. As the disease progresses, however, the difficulty progressively increases and the person starts to see only figures, sometimes progressing to blindness.

Other symptoms that may occur are double vision, sensitivity to light or distorted images. The person may complain of difficulty driving, reading and walking, or report that they have had frequent falls and that their colors are faded and lifeless. She may also lose interest in reading and sewing because she cannot see properly.

The diagnosis of cataract is made by an ophthalmologist. Using a thorough examination, he will check whether the lens has any damage (the pupil becomes white, because the lens that was transparent turns white). Click here to request an appointment! 

Benefits of Omega-3 for the Eyes

Omega-3 has proven action in combating chronic inflammation, which is one of the causes of cataracts. Furthermore, DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid), one of the omega-3 fatty acids, is one of the main structural fats in the macula. Photoreceptors are the cells in the body with the highest concentration of DHA. Thus, studies have shown that DHA has the potential to:

  • Prevent the accumulation of toxins that make the retina more vulnerable to blue light;

  • Protect photoreceptors;

  • Fight inflammation;

  • Reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome;

  • Prevent AMD;

  • Decrease the risk of glaucoma.