Ocular Nutrition
Good nutrition is important to keep your eyes healthy and functioning their best throughout your lifetime. Two very important eye nutrients that may reduce your risk for macular degeneration and cataracts have names you may not be familiar with: lutein (LOO-teen) and zeaxanthin (zee-ah-ZAN-thin).
In nature, lutein and zeaxanthin appear to absorb excess light energy to prevent damage to plants from too much sunlight, especially from high-energy light rays called blue light.
In addition to being found in many green leafy plants and colorful fruits and vegetables, lutein and zeaxanthin are found in high concentrations in the macula of the human eye, giving the macula its yellowish color.
Lutein and zeaxanthin appear to have important antioxidant functions in the body. Along with other natural antioxidants, including vitamin C, beta carotene and vitamin E, these xanthophylls guard the body from damaging effects of free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can destroy cells and play a role in many diseases.
In addition to important eye and vision benefits, lutein may help protect against atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty deposits in arteries), the disease that leads to most heart attacks.
Research also suggests that antioxidants and other important nutrients may reduce your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Specific antioxidants can have additional benefits as well; for example, vitamin A protects against blindness, and vitamin C may play a role in preventing or alleviating glaucoma.
Some fatty acids — called essential fatty acids (EFAs) — are necessary to our diet, because our body cannot produce them. To stay healthy, we must obtain these fatty acids from our food. Two types of EFAs are omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are obtained abundantly in most diets from processed foods, fried foods, and meats, and can have damaging effects on the body in large quantities. Omega-3 essential fatty acids (good fatty acids) help the eye in a variety of ways, from alleviating symptoms of dry eye syndrome to guarding against macular damage. Good sources of Omega-3’s are salmon, tuna, flax seed oil, walnuts, and green leafy vegetables.
The nutritional health of your eyes is important to us. We use the latest technology to help ensure that we keep your eyes as healthy as possible. Visit our office to determine your risk for nutritional eye disease and to find out your options for keeping your ocular nutrition at its best.
