- According to the WHO, there are at least 285 million people worldwide with some degree of visual impairment.
- In Mexico, it is estimated that three out of 10 people have a visual problem.
- More than 59% of Mexicans suffer from refractive problems, which can be corrected through the use of glasses or contact lenses.
Vision impairment is an important public health problem that affects three out of 10 Mexicans. Refractive errors such as myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism are some of the main visual diseases. Although these problems are of multifactorial origin, diet plays an important role in the eye health.
Specialists consider that 45% of cases related to visual problems can be prevented if you go for a periodic eye exam. Although that is not all because also the healthy eating contributes to prevent the development of these errors.
Current global outlook
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Until 2010, there were 285 million people on the entire planet with some degree of visual impairment. From the aforementioned figure, 39 million blind people emerge. With this you can see that it is by no means a minor problem, quite the contrary.
Just to take into consideration, in Latin America it is estimated that for every million inhabitants there are five thousand people with vision loss and 20 thousand with visual impairment. While at least two-thirds are due to treatable causes such as cataract, refractive errors, diabetic retinopathy, childhood blindness, glaucoma, onchocerciasis and trachoma.
Relationship between diet and eye health
In this sense, the Mexican population has an important item on the menu: corn because it is the most consumed grain. It stands out because it provides nutrients such as vitamin B (essential to prevent the appearance of visual diseases) and zinc (a beneficial mineral for visual health) that help delay the appearance of refractive errors. Likewise, tortillas are a source of zeaxanthin and vitamins E and C, which have complex and interrelated roles with the eye and contribute to the prevention of visual disorders in older adults.
There are other foods that, being antioxidants, can contribute to the benefit of eye health because delay or slow the aging or death of cells throughout the body. Some of these are: avocado, orange, carrot, lettuce and spinach, among others.
“It is pertinent to note that, although a good diet provides benefits to take care of our vision, we are not exempt from suffering refractive problems at any stage of our lives, since it is estimated that 59% of Mexicans present such conditions[x]. Due to this, it is advisable to go for a visual examination every six months and, if required, counteract the development of these problems in a timely manner. Today there are various options that must be consulted with the eye care professional, such as contact lenses that, thanks to their technology, can be adapted to different moments and lifestyles”, stated optometry graduate Alejandra Basave.
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