This reports discusses how the intensity of light and UV-A & UV-B radiation from daylight and electric light can cause macular degeneration, which is vision loss, typically in older people, and cataracts, which is clouding in the crystalline lens in the eye.
“It’s important to remember that different antioxidants prevent ocular disease in different ways,” she emphasizes. “Omega-3s prevent inflammatory response, while lutein is great for singlet oxygen prevention. Both are wonderful ideas, but only when consumed in the proper amounts. When antioxidants are taken incorrectly, you’re actually adding a pro-oxidant, which could conceivably damage the very tissue you’re trying to protect.”
“One out of every three people will develop macular degeneration by the time they’re 85, so effective prevention is all about starting now,” she concludes. “Particularly with younger children whose retinas aren’t yet fully protected, let’s shut out the lights when we don’t need them and eat a little more spinach at dinner. When we’re out on the beach or the snow, let’s wear the right eyewear to protect us from reflective light. The fact is, most people will develop cataracts by the time they’re 70, but, by taking the right precautions, we can at least stave off their effects as long as possible.”