Can vision be improved through diet: Doctor's response
How to improve vision (photo: Freepik)
As you age, natural decline in vision sharpness occurs. Preventing this process is not possible, however, it can be slowed down and delayed to the maximum extent. Achieving this can be done through a specific diet. Dietitian Oksana Skytalinska on Telegram reports on what to eat to improve vision.
Why vision deteriorates with age
"Diet has a significant impact on vision. As people age, many develop cataracts (clouding of the lens), age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma," says the doctor.
She adds that the number of people with these conditions will increase because of:
- inflammatory diet;
- smoking;
- stress;
- sedentary lifestyle ;
- high risk of AMD - age-related macular degeneration in women;
- unprotected retina from sunlight (AMD).
What should a diet be like for healthy vision
The diet should be low to moderate glycemic. You should consume foods that do not cause sharp spikes in blood sugar. These include vegetables, especially root vegetables, all "underground" ones (root crops) - semi-raw or boiled/baked and not too hot. The emphasis should be on the "green" portion of the plate.
Rich in fiber and colorful - meaning you should focus on vegetables, fruits, berries, and legumes. Fiber prevents rapid entry of sugar into the blood, and different natural colors block inflammatory molecules.
The diet should include quality fats - sea fish, flaxseed/chia seeds, additional omega-3s, monounsaturated fats from quality olive oil.
The diet should be rich in:
- zinc (pumpkin seeds and additional small doses of zinc);
- vitamin C, which is needed for the synthesis of quality collagen (rosehip infusion, bell pepper, cabbage, or additional);
- vitamin A (cod liver, beef liver, sea fish);
- carotenoids (stewed tomatoes or quality tomato paste, stewed carrots, stewed pumpkin).
It is very important to drink enough water. You should also minimize consumption of store-bought sweets (sweet drinks, pastries, and other sweets). Bake apples, pears, make jelly, marshmallows, and other homemade sweets, eat berries.
You should also avoid trans fats (semi-finished products, long-lasting sweets with cream, cream fillings, candies and chocolates with creams and cream fillings, etc.).
"Be sure to move. Walking immediately after meals especially protects against sharp spikes in blood sugar. You can walk indoors, do something. Best of all: eat - walk," explains Skytalinska.
The doctor also advises quitting smoking, reducing stress levels, and wearing sunglasses when the sun shines bright.
Read also about the nut that the dietitian named beneficial for heart health.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
