Never Mind Carrots; Will Eating Fish Improve your Eyesight?

Zoomer | December 6th, 2010

By Charlotte Bumstead

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a new study has revealed that increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet can help prevent risks of a serious eye disease known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The analysis is based on a one-year dietary survey carried out in the early 1990s. Nearly 2,400 seniors between the ages of 65 and 84 participated. The participants were located out of Maryland’s Eastern Shore region, where an abundance of fish and shellfish were regularly consumed.

Food intake assessments were followed by eye exams, and a total of 450 people in the study were discovered to have AMD, 68 of which were in high-risk of serious vision-impairment or blindness. Participants averaged a minimum of one fish or shellfish serving per week. Those who were presented with severe AMD commonly showed a diet considerably less rich in omega-3.

Anand Swaroop, chief of the neurobiology, neuro-degeneration and repair laboratory at the U.S. National Eye Institute, considered the results to be realistic. “It does make huge sense theoretically,” said Swaroop. “Photoreceptors have a very high concentration of a specific type of fatty acids and lipids, relative to many other cell types. So it would make sense that omega-3 consumption would be beneficial. The theory is sound.” Still, he cautions people from solely trusting omega-3 to protect against AMD, as it is only a one-year analysis and AMD is a long-term disease.
Read article on the study.