Food. We have all heard the phrase we are what we eat. Eating poorly affects our body and our vision. Both Macular degeneration and Diabetes is related to bad eating habits. Eat poorly and your body and eyes will suffer.
Why? Because having a balanced diet can help us to keep our eyes healthy and influence whether we develop other diseases that affect our vision.
Take diabetes as an example. The World Health Organization reports that the number of people with diabetes has risen from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, and it acknowledges that diabetes is a major cause of blindness.
The charity Diabetes UK estimates that sadly 1,600 people lose their sight every year. They are likely to have developed diabetic retinopathy – this is an eye disease that people living with diabetes are more at risk of getting. As the charity explains, if our blood sugar levels and blood pressure are consistently high, we can seriously damage our blood vessels including the ones in our eyes.
I am now that annoying person that bugs family and friends about their diet and when they last seen at our office for their ocular examination.