According to a recent Maclean’s article eyesight care is going to be big problem for aging baby boomers. They will expect to get good service for the treatment of cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Waits for cataract surgery can be as long as one year in cities like Victoria and in Ontario’s Niagara region. Another leading cause of vision impairment is diabetic retinopathy. Many nutritional remedies have been researched that can help to control blood sugars. When blood sugars are controlled so are their damaging effects on the eyes. I have written a previous article on the subject of diabetes that is available from the office. Nutrients such as chromium and gymnema sylvestre are crucial for any diabetic. Naturopathic medicine offers nutritional support to prevent visual problems including cataracts.

Cataracts are the clouding of the lens of the eye making it difficult to focus on close or distant objects. Causes of cataracts include injury, certain drugs such as steroids, diabetes, and heavy metal toxicity. Cataracts are the number one cause of blindness. The most difficult form of cataracts is senile cataracts which affects those over sixty- five. This form is often caused by free radical radiation from ultraviolet rays and low level radiation from x-rays. These free radicals attack the structural proteins and cell membranes of the lens. Antioxidant therapy is the key treatment for senile cataracts.

Vitamin C at doses of 1000mg a day or more has been linked with a substantial reduction in the risk for cataracts. The lens of the eye lacks blood vessels and in order to pump vitamin C into the lens of the eye requires more vitamin C than would be needed for many other physiological functions. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is implicated in cataract formation but the damage is greater when there is a deficiency in vitamin C.

Bilberry is an herbal extract high in bioflavinoids which aids the removal of chemicals from the retina of the eye resulting in better vision. It halts the formation of cataracts in 98% of 50 patients who were studied.

Other antioxidants include vitamin E, selenium, glutathione and thousands of bioflavinoids and carotenoids found in a diet of fresh, colorful vegetables and fruits. Carotenes also act as a special filter to protect the lens of the eyes from excessive oxidation. Some patients with cataracts have lower levels of vitamin E and selenium in the lens. Zinc and vitamin A are also important nutrients for the functioning eye. Dairy products contain two sugars and the inability to properly metabolize one of them may result in 30% of non-senile cataract formation.

Antioxidant supplements have demonstrated a role in slowing the rusting effect of oxidative stress or the predominance of oxidative species. Oxidative stress is implied in premature aging, heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and visual problems.

Eating a diet high in colorful vegetables will give you greater levels of antioxidants and bioflavinoids that are imperative for good vision. A lifestyle that also includes regular exercise, wearing sunglasses in bright weather, decreased intake of sugar, alcohol, and dairy and taking a few antioxidant supplements will go a long way to keeping you from those long lines up at the eye specialists office!