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Good health/eye complications
Professor Grierson’s top diet tips for healthy eyes
vessels. Lastly, try to take regular exercise to
keep yourself healthy and active.’
l try to get five portions of fruit and
How diet can help
vegetables per day; it’s not dieting and
‘The complication for people with diabetes is an
does not require you to change your
eye disease called diabetic retinopathy,’ explains
lifestyle habits.
Professor Grierson, head of ophthalmology
l Green leafy vegetables have the most
at the University of Liverpool and author of
natural lutein (a plant dye needed to
Vegetables for Vision: Nature’s Supplements for
protect the retina and macula from harm),
Eye Health (£14.50, MDS). ‘And the longer you
so go for spinach, kale and cabbage.
have your diabetes, the more chance you have
l If you don’t like vegetables all that much
of getting it, and the poorer your blood glucose
then try home-made blended vegetable
control, the more you are at risk.’
soup; chicken stock can hide tastes you
Professor Grierson is passionate about
don’t like. Equally, smoothies (without
the positive benefits a healthy diet has on eye
added sugar) can help with fruit.
health, and general overall wellbeing.
l Eat more oily fish for omega-3. meals – always better for you.
‘Regular and appropriate meals are
l Ignore labelling in supermarkets that l If you are taking supplements for eye
extremely important,’ he says. ‘And, obviously,
claims spreads are fortified with added health, have them at mealtimes because
those that keep in line with the advice from
omega-3s – more often than not these are absorption of the vitamins is much better
your diabetes specialist. But it’s also about
the wrong type. then. Look out for products that contain
being aware, not only of diet but general health;
l Shop for local produce and don’t leave omega-3s, lutein and zeaxanthin (such as
it is imperative that any eye changes are picked
vegetables in the rack all week – they will Bausch and Lomb’s ocuvite eye vitamin
up early. There is a national diabetic eye disease
lose lots of their vitamin c. and mineral supplement) which can help
screening service being introduced, but it is all
l Do more home cooking and less ready to promote good retinal health.
happening rather slowly.’
The professor also stresses the importance
for eye health and so I take a high concentrate
‘AMD almost
of being open with your doctor and optometrist,
omega-3 supplement too.’ and flagging up any changes when you attend
Regular eye checks are of course the key to
never leads to
your appointments. ‘When you are at your
spotting potential problems early on – advice diabetes clinic you must report any change in
that Dr Chris has been taking on board himself.
total blindness,
vision,’ he says. ‘And also make sure you go to
‘Eye tests are very important, as is the a decent optometrist for your regular vision
correct type of testing,’ he says. ‘The last test
but the central
checks. A good optician will always look at the
I had did not involve pupil dilation – I don’t back of the eye for signs of disease, too.’
know what the official line is on dilating the
vision is affected’
Professor Grierson is keen, though, to point
eye, but when I was speaking to an eye surgeon out that some eyesight deterioration is normal,
friend of mine he was very surprised that they For patients with diabetes, Dr Chris has as part of the ageing process: ‘If you are over
had not done so, which makes me suspect that specific advice, although is quick to assert that 40 and can’t read as well as you once did, then
they are supposed to.’ any changes or problems with sight should be that is just ageing and you need reading glasses.
acted on immediately, and without delay. So the advice is, in that case, don’t worry. But,
‘People with diabetes certainly need to take having said that, it is important that people with
extra care of their eyes, as prolonged periods diabetes don’t just buy glasses off the shelf –
of high blood glucose levels can cause damage always get a proper check-up, just in case.’ n
to small blood vessels in the eye leading to
defects such as haemorrhaging and exudates
Find out more
[proteins from the blood] on the retina. Regular
eye checks are a must, as is making sure blood If you’d like to find out more about AMD
glucose is maintained at normal levels. or diabetic retinopathy, then the following
‘My advice for everyone – whether you have websites all contain useful information,
diabetes or not – is to eat a good and varied facts and contacts:
diet; make sure you get the five portions of fruit
www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes
and veg a day and eat oily fish for the omega-3s
complications/eye-problems.html
two to three times a week – a supplement can
www.healthyeyes.org.uk
always help if you find it difficult to get this from
www.maculardisease.org
your diet. And of course, don’t smoke as this is
www.rnib.org.uk/eyehealth
iStock
Above: This Morning’s Dr chris Steele. bad for circulation and can disturb the blood
Sweet Magazine 53
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