Your body is a finely tuned machine, so the fuel you put into it has a major effect on the performance you get out of it. Low-quality food has an impact on your eye health too, and these facts may surprise you!
Diabetes
Certain forms of diabetes are influenced by weight and nutrition. When blood sugar is uncontrolled, the delicate vessels of the eye may be damaged. Diabetic Retinopathy occurs when those vessels cannot effectively carry fluids to the eye’s retina. As a result, the retina is damaged and sight permanently lost. For patients with diabetes, keeping your blood sugar within normal limits is critically important to your body and your eye health. Junk food contributes to obesity, raising your risk of developing certain diabetic conditions.
High Blood Pressure
The high levels of sodium that are contained within salty snacks, prepackaged foods, and restaurant meals is a hazard to your blood pressure. Hypertension (high blood pressure) can raise eye pressure, damaging the structures within. You may develop blurry vision, bleeding within the eye, or glaucoma, which may end in permanent vision loss or blindness.
Fatty Diet
Eating foods that are high in unhealthy fats (cake, french fries, potato chips, and many fried foods) will eventually compromise your eye health. One problem of a fatty diet is called Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Over time, deposits build up on the macula of the eye, a component of the retina. The central part of your vision will start to fade away. This is a permanent situation that cannot be reversed, only prevented from progressing once it begins.
Your diet has a major influence on your eye health as well as the rest of your body. Talk to your Phoenix doctors about dietary changes that can help you see clearly and feel great for years!
