Health, wellbeing eyes goes from the table, from the ophthalmologists to the shopping list

Antioxidants, vitamins A, B, E, lutein. The health of our eyes also and above all passes through a good diet which, if studied specifically for the eye, “is able to reduce dangerous risks for the health of our sight: starting with cataracts and age-related macular degeneration”. This is what emerged from the symposium dedicated to nutraceuticals entitled ‘Eye and nutrition’, which today opened the 19th International Congress of the Italian Ophthalmological Society (Soi), scheduled in Rome until 21 May. “Proper nutrition is important not only to provide the eye organ with all the nutrients it needs for its very important function, but also to implement prevention and contribute to health management costs”, emphasizes Soi. “Among the foods related to nutraceuticals, in addition to yogurt – the experts explain – there are above all fruit and vegetables, rich in antioxidants. Lutein, useful for sight, is found in spinach, cabbage, broccoli and eggs. . Curcumin in curry and the yellow pigment of saffron. And citrus fruits, rich in vitamin C, help fight free radicals and repair the damage they are responsible for. A recent study highlights how vitamin C helps maintain optic nerve cells in function “. On the table then, lists the Soi, “carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and melons that are rich in beta-carotene. Yellow and orange peppers, peaches are rich in vitamin C and zeaxanthin. Soy, a formidable antioxidant, and all of them. its derivatives such as oils, milk and yogurt, contain essential amino acids, phytoestrogens, vitamins, as well as anti-inflammatory agents that help keep the eyes healthy. Even the essential fatty acids contained in fish, defined as omega 3, are essential for vision . Salmon, tuna, wild trout and sardines contain large quantities of docosahexaenoic acid (Dha). Tea, especially green, black and Colong tea, is a very valid ally without forgetting red wine, which contains high doses of resveratrol. “Take proper care of the eyes to safeguard sight has an inestimable value and avoids being irreversibly penalized: sight is responsible for 83% of connections with the outside world – recalls M Ateo Piovella, president of Soi – The retina, for example, is a tissue with a unique and fairly penalized circulation. It needs substances, such as lutein, which our body does not produce and which we must therefore integrate from the outside. It is therefore important to identify and suggest some foods of normal use, which can help save the sight of many people “. But the care of one’s eyesight must be of primary interest regardless – continues Piovella – For this reason, for several years we have been working for make known the Soi calendar of ophthalmologist visits to safeguard vision. It is necessary to respect it in order to see well throughout life. The first visit must be made at birth, then within 3 years of age – recommends the number one of the Italian Ophthalmological Society – the first day of school, from 10 to 15 years to manage the possible onset of myopia, from 40 to 60 years every 2 years and after 60 once a year, because the eye ages prematurely. This calendar is the best insurance to obtain a perfect view throughout life “.