Eyes, eyes, baby

Imagine your world if your vision were totally impaired.   One of the joys of living is having an instantaneous appreciation of the world around you.   I shudder to think of life without eyesight and I would not wish it on my worst enemy. ?I got to think of eye health very recently when I was dining with Knit Wear Queen Lulu Tan Gan.

She noticed I was squinting when I was reading a text message, (mea culpa, bad manners to do so during a social dinner) and she laughingly reprimanded me to wear my glasses so as to avoid crow’s feet on the corners of my eyes, which in fact are multiplying daily. ?She shared with me that because of some underlying health problems, she consulted with her Chinese doctor.

Dr. Tan (Ongpin corner T. Alonso is his address) prescribed some roots for her to boil and drink the tea three times a day.  She is taking it religiously and as a result, her stamina has improved, her vision has cleared and now she can read without glasses and without squinting.

It truly alerted my consciousness on eye health and remembered that when I was l sharing a flat with an ophthalmologist in New York years ago, she would give me a rundown on all the vitamins she was taking that were necessary for healthy eyes.

I particularly noticed two unfamiliar vitamins, Lutein with Zeaxanthin  among the vitamins she was taking but failed to remember their benefits.  I immediately sent her an email asking her to explain the benefits of the vitamins she was taking for eye health.

Scientific evidence indicates that lutein and  zeaxanthin help filter out high energy blue light from the sun and artificial light which may otherwise induce oxidative stress and possible free radical damage to the eyes and skin.

She mentioned that by taking lutein, she is avoiding an early onset of macular degeneration which afflicted her father at a young age.

Macular degeneration  (MD)causes progressive visual loss due to degeneration of the macula, the portion of the retina responsible for fine vision.  MD is the leading cause of severe visual loss among people over 50 years of age.  This loss of vision may appear suddenly or it may progress slowly.  MD is probably the result of free radical damage similar to the type of damage that induces cataract.

Factors that predispose a person to developing macular degeneration include aging, atherosclerosis (thickening and hardening of the arteries causing high blood pressure and ultimately leads to stroke, heart attacks), hypertension, environmental toxins and heredity. ?Another cause of loss of vision is cataract, which is a condition that clouds the eyes’ lens by thickening, making the vision opaque and unable to focus or admit light properly.

Some causes of cataracts include aging, diabetes, heavy metal poisoning, exposure to radiation, injury to the eye and use of certain drugs such as steroids.  It is the number one cause of blindness in the world.

Good nutrition plays an important role in eye health.  Eating foods high in vitamin C, E, beta carotene (or vitamin A), omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, copper, lutein and zeaxanthin are beneficial for eye health.

Foods high in lutein and zeaxanthin are dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach (cooked and raw), kale (cooked), collards (cooked), turnip greens (cooked), broccoli (cooked), romaine lettuce (raw), green beans (cooked), canned corn, and eggs. Carrots, squash, yams are high in vitamin C and beta-carotene. Fresh fruits (citrus, strawberry, green leafy vegetables, avocados, asparagus, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe etc.) are rich in vitamin C, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole greens are rich in vitamin E,  while peppers, garlic, pumpkin, papaya, peaches, sweet potatoes, spirulina are rich in vitamin A. Zinc is found in egg yolks, fish, kelp, lamb legumes, lima beans, liver, meats, mushrooms, oysters, nuts and poultry. Copper is found in almonds, avocado, barley, beans, beets, broccoli, lentils.

With a wide variety of food that can improve eye health, we have no excuse to neglect our eyes.  Taking multi vitamins are also helpful supplement if one is too busy to have regular healthy meals.

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