Can Processed Food Harm Your Eyes? Here’s what you need to know

Your eyes are delicate and require good care for proper vision. Consuming an unhealthy diet can severely damage your eyes. Apart from age-related eye issues such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, high blood pressure is also responsible for vision loss or blindness. High salt intake can cause your blood pressure to shoot up, damaging your eyes.

How Processed Food Can Damage Your Eyes?

Processed food like pizzas, doughnuts, and pastries not just harm your sugar level and heart but also affect your eyes. Processed foods increase blood pressure. High blood pressure leads to a fluid build-up below the retina. This condition is called central serous retinopathy (CSR), also known as choroidopathy.

The retina is the part of the eye that is responsible for processing light and turning it into vision. These high-fat-containing foods lead to the deposition of fat not just under your skin but also in the small and tender blood vessels of your eyes. The high blood pressure around your eyes leads to hypersensitive retinopathy. This happens when the blood vessel has been damaged.

This deteriorates the eyes and leads to vision problems and blindness. High blood pressure can also kill the nerve cell that is responsible for sight. This happens when the blood leading to these cells gets blocked.

Also read: 7 Potential Causes Of Red Spots In Your Eyes

Other Effects of Processed Food on the Eye

Research suggests that eating a lot of processed food leads to age-related macular degeneration. This is a disease in which the central part of your vision is blurred as a result of damaged macular eye pigment. Note that the macula is responsible for sharp and straight vision.

Backed by Study

A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology noted that eating lots of processed food, meat, fried, and sugary foods puts people at risk of developing these eye conditions. The research team looked at the data of 16,000 people between 1987 to 2017.

The researchers found that people who ate a western diet, implying junk food, had developed advanced age-related macular degeneration as compared to those who ate a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, poultry, and dairy products.

Also read: Aging Eyesight: 5 Age-Related Eye Problems & Treatments Everyone Should Know

What is the solution?

In the advanced stage of age-related macular degeneration, the disease is irreversible. Although some treatments can slow its progression. It is important to take care of your eyes as you take care of other parts of your body.

• You can include green leafy vegetables like spinach in your diet. Spinach can delay cataract development as well as AMD.
• You can also have berries, as they are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. This can also reduce the risk of cataracts and AMD.
• Eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. You can have salmon, tuna, and sardines as they are good for the retina of your eyes. Consuming food rich in omega-3 fatty acids slows down macular degeneration.
• If you have already suffered a lot of eye damage, seek your doctor’s advice to relieve your eye problems and avoid further degradation of your vision.

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