Antioxidants for Eye Health

People looking to maintain their vision are turning to high-tech therapies more and more frequently. Laser surgery, telescopic implants, and even artificial eyes are all treatments of tomorrow and are becoming more refined and common as technology develops and improves.

However, all that progress doesn’t mean that we should ignore more low-tech solutions. Eye exercises are a piece of that particular puzzle. Another one that’s often ignored is nutrition. Proper nutrition can improve health for just about any body part you can name and eyes are absolutely included.

Antioxidants have received more and more attention of late as possible solutions to a couple of different vision maladies. While researchers are still working to understand their precise role in the body, studies have shown enormous promise in using diet to treat vision disorders.

What Are Antioxidants?

As the name suggests, antioxidants are a class of molecules that protect other molecules from a chemical process known as oxidation. Oxidation occurs when one chemical removes electrons from another chemical. These reactions are a common part of biological chemistry, and lie behind an enormous number of processes necessary for life. However, they have another side.

Supplement marketers frequently toss around the term “free radicals,” but they’re more than a sales buzzword. Free radicals form when a chemical structure has an intrinsically unstable electron count, a frequent effect of oxidation. The atoms, ions, or molecules with these awkward setups are highly reactive, both toward themselves and other chemicals. In some cases, the interactions they begin can lead to a free radical chain reaction, in which they turn other substances into free radicals, which repeat the step accordingly.

If you skimmed through all that, here’s the upshot: a free radical chain reaction can cause damage to or even kill a cell.

And that’s where antioxidants come in. These special chemicals neutralize chain reactions and stop further oxidation reactions by oxidizing themselves. The net effect is a substance that can shield tissues in the body from the ill effects of oxidation reactions.

Uses of Antioxidants

While we have a decent idea of how antioxidants behave chemically, applying that knowledge medically can be a challenge. However, plenty of studies have shown potentially beneficial effects from increased antioxidant intake.

For example, there’s long been solid evidence that antioxidant-rich diets can help prevent some cancers, as well as atherosclerotic heart disease, the primary contributing factor to heart attacks. Researchers suspect that oxidative reactions are at fault for both of those diseases, making antioxidants a natural defense.

Oxidative stress is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Parkinson’s and diabetes, some of the worst degenerative conditions you’re likely to hear about. And they’re hardly alone – oxidation damage is the probable cause of many diseases and disorders.

A Focus on Eye Health

Antioxidants are particularly effective against two eye disorders. Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is likely the most notorious. AMD affects a surprisingly large slice of aging populations. The disorder affects central vision and if allowed to progress, can easily rob a sufferer of the sight in one or both of their eyes. While conventional treatment often revolves around surgery, dietary changes have shown promise in fighting AMD.

One of the most promising nutritional answers to AMD is antioxidants. Antioxidants like vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper have all been linked to fighting and preventing AMD.

Cataracts, which occur when the lens of an eye becomes cloudy, may also be partly caused by oxidation. Several studies have found that long-term – in many cases, more than 10 years – use of vitamin supplements can reduce cataract risk. If that’s all enough to get you hunting for a few antioxidant sources, read on.

Sources of Antioxidants

Your best bet for securing a load of antioxidants is to listen to some classic maternal advice: eat your fruits and veggies. Check over this list for a few highlights:

• Leafy greens are a great natural source of antioxidant Vitamin C. Citrus (also wonderful for preventing scurvy), broccoli, tomatoes, and spinach are all extremely high in ascorbic acid, the main dietary form of the vitamin.
• Berries are another excellent way to get your mouth around several different classes of antioxidant. Blueberries, strawberries, goji berries, cranberries, and blackberries all pack a solid antioxidant punch.
• Don’t make “green and leafy” your only vegetable class. Orange and yellow veggies produce sun-protective pigments rich in retinol, a dietary form of Vitamin A that may perform similar roles in the eye.
• Nuts, whole grains, and even fish liver oil are other possible sources.

Failing these, you may want to consider grabbing a natural supplement. However, not all supplements are created equal. Before you start a regimen, do some research to make sure that the supplement will specifically address your eye disorder.

In some cases, antioxidants can actually cause problems. Beta-carotene may cause alarming spikes in lung cancer for heavy smokers – the effect even stopped a study in Finland. Yet another trial found a possible correlation between supplements and skin cancer in women.

Bottom line, bump up your dietary sources of antioxidants first. Even if a tomato won’t cure AMD, it will make you a healthier person in general. You should only take supplements to address specific needs. For example, if you are concerned about AMD, or already deal with the disease, then you may want to consider researching and purchasing a supplement designed to deal with AMD.

Low-Tech Solutions for Eye Health

If you are looking for more low-tech solutions to keep your eyes healthy, eye exercises (as we mentioned before) are another great option. Incorporating activities like blinking exercises or the Round the Clock exercise will help strengthen your vision naturally. After all, your eyes are muscles.  Just like biceps or quads, they will get stronger and work better with some dedicated “work outs.”

So, if you want to improve your vision but avoid expensive surgical procedures, try these low-tech solutions. Up your antioxidant intake and add some eye exercises to your workout regimen today. You’ll reap the benefits for the rest of your life.