The role of nutrition in age-related eye diseases

Bamini Gopinath*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The aging demographics of most countries has meant that the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness due to degenerative eye diseases has increased exponentially. The common age-related eye diseases include glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, and diabetic eye complications. Much of these age-related diseases leading to vision loss could be eliminated or minimized if healthy behavior changes or treatment could be implemented earlier. There is a growing interest in the role of nutritional factors in preventing or delaying degenerative diseases of the eye, by targeting food habits or by supplementation with specific nutrients. This review will focus on ocular diseases that are most prevalent in the older population (AMD, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic eye diseases) and the role of key nutritional factors that could potentially provide protection against eye aging: antioxidants; lutein and zeaxanthin (carotenoids found specifically in the eye); and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMolecular basis of nutrition and aging
EditorsMarco Malavolta, Eugenio Mocchegiani
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherAcademic Press
Chapter32
Pages433-446
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)9780128018279
ISBN (Print)9780128018163
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameMolecular nutrition series

Keywords

  • age-related macular degeneration
  • cataract
  • glaucoma
  • diabetic eye diseases
  • nutrition
  • antioxidants
  • lutein
  • carotenoids
  • fatty acids
  • zeaxanthin

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