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It seems like magic. Our eyes transform light into nerve signals that somehow tell our brains what we see. But as we get older, the magic often starts to fade.
One out of two Americans aged 65 or older has a cataract, or cloudiness in the eye's lens. Cataracts impair the vision of roughly 3.3 million people. Surgery to remove cataracts costs $1.5 billion a year.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a breakdown of the center of the retinathe macula. One out of four people aged 65 or older has early signs of AMD. It's the leading cause of new cases of blindness in that age group.
Is declining eyesight inevitable, or can antioxidants like lutein and vitamins C and E -and possibly zinc or fish or omega-3 fatskeep our eyes from failing?
Cataracts
Q: What are cataracts?
A: They are an increased cloudiness in the middle or in the back of the lens [see illustration]. Cloudiness distorts the light rays that enter the eye, which leads to blurred vision.
Q: And the only treatment is surgery?
A: Yes. The last time somebody counted, cataract surgery was the largest single item in the Medicare expenditure budget. And as the population ages, cataract surgery will become an even greater burden because the number of people over 75 will triple over the next 50 years. If we could delay a person's need for cataract surgery by ten years through preventive measures, we could cut in half the number of yearly cataract surgeries.
Q: Does vision continue to until the surgery?
A: Yes. And some people can't afford. to have cataracts removed or simply aren't connected to the health-care system. Educated people of higher incomes tend to have their cataracts removed, but others may go around for many years unable to see clearly.
Q: What are the risk factors for cataracts?
A: Age is the strongest. Genetics is probably involved. And exposure to ultraviolet light-sunshine-may increase the risk. Smoking and diabetes also increase the risk for some types of cataract.
Q: Con nutrients prevent cataracts?
A: The evidence is strongest for antioxidants like vitamins E and C and for two carotenoids-lutein and zeaxanthin. But we're still in the early stages of investigating those links.
People who eat healthy...