Did you know that cataracts are the leading cause of blindness today? The best treatment is currently through surgery by removing the cloudy lens and replacing them with an intraocular lens. The exact cause of cataracts still isn’t known, but several studies prove that having too much oxidative stress in your body can damage your eye’s natural lens and cause it to become cloudy. However, there are ways to keep your eyes healthy, and that’s by eating the right foods in your daily diet!

To understand how you can prevent cataract progression, here’s what our resident eye exam doctor at Spectrum Eye Care has to say.

Why Should You Eat Right?

Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and the antioxidants that prevent them from damaging your body. Having low antioxidants causes the free radicals to “steal” electrons from healthy cells, or in the case of your eyes, the proteins and fats in the lens. Over time, the lens becomes cloudy and develops a cataract.

What You Should Include in Your Daily Diet

Our resident optometrist recommends adding more antioxidants to your diet, which are found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Antioxidants are chemicals that combat oxidative stress or the imbalance of free radicals in your body, and they affect your natural aging process. The reason why there should be variety in what you eat is that no single antioxidant can neutralize and keep the free radicals in balance. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Whole Grains – About three daily servings of 100 percent whole grains help in preventing cataracts. Some of the more popular whole-grain foods include oatmeal, millet, brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, wheat, rye, bulgur, and even popcorn!
• Seeds and Nuts – These are great sources of vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that helps protect the membranes of eye cells from free radical damage. Along with peanuts, you can also include walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds in your daily diet.
• Fruits and Vegetables – Around five to nine daily servings are recommended to keep your eyes healthy. It also helps to eat them in a variety of colors, as they offer the highest total antioxidant capacity of all foods available.

If you’re looking for a professional eye care doctor for LASIK eye surgery, Spectrum Eye Care is the only name to trust! Just call (704) 817-4600 or fill out our convenient online request form to get started. Schedule an appointment with us today!