The eye’s anatomy consists of a myriad of structures and tissues that work together to keep your eye healthy and your vision clear. If an eye condition involves one component of your eye this could have disastrous effects on your vision or eye health. Other components, such as tear ducts, may help the eye function properly, but a blockage may occur, causing excessive tearing. Knowing the ways nutrition may help maintain eye health could help prevent or treat certain conditions.
Disease Prevention
Nutrition plays an important role in the health of your eyes, and dietary choices may protect your vision. You may help slow down certain eye conditions, such as cataracts and macular degeneration, by choosing foods or supplements rich in antioxidant nutrients, such as vitamin A, E and C, along with zinc and lutein. If you have risk factors for these conditions, your doctor may recommend a diet full of a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and lean meats to provide these vitamins and minerals, or your doctor may recommend a supplement that contains high doses of each of these nutrients.
Another nutrient, omega-3 fatty acids, may help prevent diabetic retinopathy, a condition that occurs when abnormal blood vessels on the retina begin to bleed. This condition often results in vision changes, and this makes prevention an important part in maintaining vision. If your doctor believes omega-3 will help protect your eyes, she will tell you if you should eat omega-3 rich foods, such as salmon and flaxseed, or if you need to take a daily supplement.
Treatment
In some instances, nutrients may help treat or slow down eye conditions or associated symptoms. Retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that begins in childhood, leads to blindness by early adulthood. However, the National Eye Institute reports that vitamin A may help slow the progression of the disease. Doctors will not use diet for vitamin A intake, but they will recommend a daily supplement to make sure the patient receives the necessary amount of vitamin A each day.
Tear Ducts
Nutrition does not have any known effect on conditions involving the tear ducts. In the case of a blockage, the doctor will recommend treatment based on the cause of the problem. If you have an infection in the duct, you may require antibiotic eye drops or other medication. At times, matter may clot the duct, resulting in an obstruction, and your eye doctor may push saline into the duct to break apart the blockage. If the saline does not clear the obstruction or if growths caused the condition, you may require a surgical procedure. In all cases, diet cannot prevent or treat the obstruction.
Considerations
If you notice changes in your vision or experience other unusual eye symptoms, contact your doctor. She will examine your eyes and determine the source of your problems. If she recommends a diet rich in specific nutrients, she will let you know the appropriate changes and whether supplements may benefit you.
References
- American Optometric Association: Diet & Nutrition
- National Eye Institute: The AREDS Formulation and Age-Related Macular Degeneration
- National Institutes of Health: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Eyes Against Retinopathy, Study Finds; June 2007
- National Eye Institute: Information for Doctors Who Follow Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa; June 1993
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids; Steven D. Ehrlich, N.M.D.
- MayoClinic.com: Blocked Tear Duct; October 2010
