An optometrist, Dr. Chinedu Njezi, has urged Nigerians to eat more fresh vegetables, fish, nuts and carrots, noting that increased consumption of the foods could help maintain and improve eyesight.
Njezi, who is the Medical Director, Sight Haven Eye Clinic, Abuja noted that consuming foods like “Green leafy vegetables, brightly coloured vegetables, carrots, fish, citrus fruits, eggs, nuts, beans and non-meat proteins, seeds and nuts can help improve the eyesight and maintain one’s vision.”
The eye care expert also noted that drinking freshly tapped palm wine occasionally is also beneficial to eye health, stating that palm wine is fortified with vitamins B1, B2 and C.
He, however, added that due to the speed with which fermentation in palm wine takes place, the benefits from the vitamins might be lost before a person drinks it.
Njezi said, “Freshly tapped palm wine is fortified with vitamins (vitamin B1, B2 and C). Vitamin B1 also known as thiamine has been shown to help improve sight and vitamin C ascorbic acid is a potent antioxidant that helps in maintaining sight.
“Kindly note that it takes about two to three hours for the fermentation of palm wine and by this, some of the beneficial effects on the eye may be lost.”
The eye care expert also warned against the constant use of phones, noting that staring at the phone screen all the time can strain the eye.
In his words, “While the phones are part of our lives now, their overuse can lead to computer vision syndrome, dry eye syndrome and even migraines.
“While these may be protected by appropriate computer glasses, the induced eye strain may not be completely ruled off.”
As reported online by Medical News Today, The Age-Related Eye Disease Study, published in 2001, found that certain nutrients — zinc, copper, vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene — may reduce the risk of age-related decline in eye health by 25 per cent.
This study was updated in 2013 to test different versions of the original formula. The variations included omega-3 fatty acids, zeaxanthin, lutein, and beta carotene; the study found that certain combinations may work better than others.
Further studies agree that omega-3 fatty acids (including DHA), copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin are vital for eye health.
According to the World Health Organisation, at least 2.2 billion people globally, have a near or distance vision impairment.
“In at least 1 billion – or almost half – of these cases, vision impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.
“The leading causes of vision impairment and blindness are uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts. The majority of people with vision impairment and blindness are over the age of 50 years; however, vision loss can affect people of all ages.
“Vision impairment poses an enormous global financial burden with the annual global costs of productivity losses associated with vision impairment from uncorrected myopia and presbyopia alone estimated to be US$ 244 billion and US$ 25.4 billion.
