Good nutrition contributes to maintaining good health, even when it comes to vision. However, diet alone is not able to prevent cataracts 100%.
Cataracts are the main symptom of vision loss. In fact, they are the leading cause of blindness in the world. It develops in the lens, “the lens of the eye,” thereby affecting vision, progressively clouding it. It does not always affect both eyes, in some cases, it can affect only one of them.
Cataracts are generally quite common in older people. Therefore, they are related to aging. However, this is not the only risk factor.
Let’s see more about it below.
Which are the risk factors?
Cataracts are the veil that slowly “covers” the pupil and, in advanced cases, form a grayish spot on the eye that can become more extensive as the disease progresses.
The lens is part of the eye and is a biconvex lens located behind the iris and in front of the vitreous humor. This structure allows us to focus on objects located at different distances. When light does not pass through it normally, the image reaching the retina is blurred.
In other words, as the lens deteriorates, vision becomes increasingly opaque. It should be noted that this deterioration process occurs painlessly.
Risk factor’s
In addition to aging, there are other risk factors, such as:
- Diabetes.
- Smoking.
- Alcoholism.
- Malnutrition.
- Trauma.
- X-ray exposure.
- Chronic exposure to ultraviolet light.
- Consumption of certain medications (such as corticosteroids, for example).
Can cataracts be prevented?
According to the MSD Manual, cataracts can be prevented by maintaining good lifestyle habits, among which, the following stand out:
- Blood glucose control in case of diabetes.
- A diet rich in vitamins A, C and carotenoids.
- Use of sunglasses (with filter for protection against ultraviolet rays).
- Reduction of the mentioned risk factors (that is, avoiding the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other substances).
Furthermore, it never hurts to have an eye exam at least once a year to detect any possible eye disease. Remember that a timely diagnosis greatly influences the success of treatment.
Diet, a key point
A diet rich in vitamins A and C is essential to revitalize eye functions and stop the deterioration of the lens. We can obtain vitamin A from vegetables and fruits such as carrots, spinach, orange and papaya.
Vitamin C is abundant in foods such as red pepper, parsley, and guava. According to some studies, a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of cataracts by up to 12% as long as other good lifestyle habits are maintained.
To consider
Eating healthy foods cannot guarantee 100% cataract prevention, but it can contribute significantly to maintaining health. Therefore, it is necessary to rely on a whole series of good habits so that, as a whole, these have a positive impact on the body and several long-term benefits are appreciable.
No single food is capable of preventing or curing any disease.