The connection between nutrition and eye health is receiving plenty of study these days, as researchers are looking for ways people can lower their risk of age-related vision loss with eye vitamins or other nutritional means.
A new study published in the February 2009 issue of Current Eye Research suggests vitamin C may be a key to lowering the risk of the most common type of cataracts.
Researchers in Iran compared blood plasma levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in age- and sex-matched populations of people with age-related cataracts and those without cataracts. Analysis of the data revealed that plasma levels of vitamin C among the subjects with cataracts were significantly lower than plasma levels of the antioxidant vitamin among those without cataracts.
The study also found that plasma levels of ascorbic acid declined with age among men, but not among women. Also, plasma levels of vitamin C were higher among people living in rural settings versus in cities, and women tended to have higher levels of this antioxidant vitamin in their blood than men did.
The researchers concluded that antioxidant vitamins, particularly vitamin C, “can help with the prevention of cataracts, which is a major health service burden in many countries.”
Vitamin C and other antioxidant vitamins are found in many fruits and vegetables, as well as in most vision supplements.