Eat the right leafy greens and load up on omega-3 fats to keep your eyes healthy throughout your golden years.

Protect your eyesight: Keep an eye on what you eat.

05-13-09 RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Keeping your vision sharp as you get older has a lot to do with what you eat, according to a group of studies published this month. The research points to a strong connection between certain types of nutrients and a lower risk of macular degeneration, a condition in which the central portion of the retina, the macula, deteriorates. It’s the leading cause of blindness for people 55 and older in the United States. As people age, their chances for developing eye diseases increase dramatically. Unfortunately, the specific factors that cause macular degeneration are not conclusively known. But growing evidence suggests that the right diet can lower your risk.

THE DETAILS: In one study, researchers looked at data from more than 4,000 people and investigated how diet affects the risk of developing early age-related macular degeneration. They found that people who ate foods rich in vitamins C and E, omega-3 fatty acids, and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as foods with a low glycemic index (they don’t trigger a huge spike in your blood sugar after you eat them) had lower risks of developing macular degeneration.

In separate studies published in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, researchers found that certain types of “good” fat, specifically omega-3 fatty acids, can protect against age-related macular degeneration. Eating one serving of fish a week was linked to a 31 percent lower risk of developing the condition, while eating 2 servings of nuts a week lowered the risk by 35 percent. Researchers also found that the risks of developing macular degeneration were 76 percent higher among those who ate the most trans fat–filled foods—trans fats, a.k.a trans fatty acids, are synthetic fats found in processed foods. The risk of developing the condition was 52 percent lower for people who recorded eating the highest amounts of olive oil in their diet.

WHAT IT MEANS: Macular degeneration affects more than 10 million people in this country, and a recent poll found that Americans dread blindness more than any other disability. Some anticipate macular degeneration will soon become an epidemic as baby boomers continue to age. By 2025, the population of those older than 65 in this country will be 6 times higher than it was in 1990, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.

Here’s how to protect those baby blues, greens, browns, and hazels:

• Green your eyeballs. You’ve probably been told to eat carrots for better vision, but your mom really should have been pushing leafy greens like kale, spinach, turnip greens, and collard greens. They’re packed with lutein and zeaxanthin, an antioxidant tag-team powerhouse known to protect against, or even reverse, the signs of macular degeneration. They’re healthy for you in all sorts of other ways, too, so try to make sure these greens take up half the plate during at least one meal every day. And sneak some low-GI foods into your diet early in the morning by eating oatmeal, cherries, citrus fruit, peaches, or whole wheat toast.

• Go fishing for omega-3–rich foods. Foods high in omega-3s keep both our brain and our eyes healthy. Anchovies, mackerel, and wild-caught Alaska salmon are loaded with omega-3s, and low in contaminants like mercury, found in some fish. If you don’t like fish, you can also take a fish oil or algae supplement.

• Run toward better vision. A recent study also found that vigorous exercise can benefit more than your cardiovascular health—it’s good for your eyes, too. Researchers found that men who ran more than 2½ miles a day cut their risk of age-related macular degeneration by as much as 54 percent.