Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

SWEET NEWS FOR YOUR EYES

Oct 12, 2004

SWEET NEWS FOR YOUR EYES

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in older adults, affecting about 10 million people in this country alone. Ultimately it destroys the vision field in the center of the eye, making driving, reading and other normal life functions virtually impossible. Although today there are rehabilitation programs available in which patients learn to adapt peripheral vision for regaining life functions, there is no cure for AMD. Consequently, any news about how to avoid it is especially good news.

And there is good news from a study done by Harvard-based researcher Eunyoung Cho, ScD. Dr. Cho analyzed data from the Brigham and Women's Hospital long-range Nurses' Health Study that tracked 118,428 men and women for up to 18 years. In her analysis of the data, Dr. Cho found that people who ate three or more servings of fruit a day had a 36% decreased risk of developing AMD.

I called Lylas G. Mogk, MD, founding director of the Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center at the Henry Ford Medical Center and coauthor of Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight (Ballantine), to discuss the reasons that fruit and good eyesight go together.

Dr. Mogk explains that many experts believe free radicals in the environment and from the sun may be the cause of AMD, and so the idea of protection from a diet rich in antioxidant-containing fruits makes sense. Furthermore, a number of past studies have shown that antioxidants in foods and supplements are generally protective.

Dr. Mogk has other recommendations to help avoid AMD, especially important for fair-skinned, light-eyed people who are most at risk. In addition to eating plenty of fruit, she says you should...

Increase omega-3 intake (fish, flaxseed oil and supplements) and decrease intake of omega-6s (vegetable oils, often found in packaged foods).
Note: The body does need a proper balance of omega-3s and omega-6s. According to Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, processed foods carry an abundance of omega-6s, but the processing often damages them to the degree that it is more reliable to take a supplement that contains both omega-3s and high-quality omega-6s. People who consume an abundance of fresh food may need only an omega-3 supplement. High-end capsules of both varieties can be purchased from Nordic Naturals (800-662-2544 or www.nordicnaturals.com)... or your health-care provider can provide you with Pharmax products. Many adequate forms are available from other retail providers.

Eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables, the darker the better (kale is at the top of the list).
Wear UV-protected sunglasses, but be sure the lenses are amber-orange. Reason: Amber-orange protects eyes from the blue end of the light spectrum -- a risk for AMD.
If you smoke, give it up. Smoking, she says, is absolutely proven to be associated with AMD. It's one more addition to the long list of reasons why people should not smoke.