Are These 4 Foods You Love, Actually Harming Your Eyes?

A few weeks ago we posted a blog about 8 Foods That Will Keep Your Eyes Surprisingly Healthy. Just like these foods have nutritional value to your eyes, there are foods that you should avoid to protect your eyesight. To have a healthy diet, you not only want to add certain foods that may contain some nutritional value to your eyes and health. Your Cicero Eye Doctors Dr. Amy Walden and Associates wanted to shed some light on certain foods that negatively impact your eyes and health.

In this blog, you may be shocked at some of the foods you love and consume daily, which may actually be causing harm to your eyes. Although most of these foods look appealing and taste good for the most part, they may be doing more harm than good to our bodies when overindulged. Let’s take a look at 4 food types that we may indulge in and the effects they have on our eyes in the long run.

4 Types of Food to Avoid for Proper Vision Care:

Foods High In Trans and Saturated Fat

Trans fat is an unhealthy fat. It is formed when hydrogen is added to liquid oils, then the oils are turned into a solid. Trans fats are found in a lot of processed foods. These fats are added to foods to increase the flavor and add a longer shelf life to products. Both forms of fat raise LDL “bad” cholesterol and also lower HDL “good” cholesterol. These fats can clog arteries and cause heart disease.

Not only will these fats cause heart problems, but they also interfere with the body’s absorption of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids help protect the eyes against macular degeneration and dry eyes. In children, these fatty acids help in the development of your child’s eyes.

Your eye is full of tiny capillaries. When you consume foods with trans and saturated fats, fatty deposits and bad cholesterol begin to block the capillaries. If the capillaries in your eyes are blocked, it can cause multiple eye problems. Trans and saturated fats are commonly found in crackers, cookies, microwave popcorn, frozen and fried foods. Anything that keeps in your pantry or freezer for a long shelve life more then likely has traces of trans fat.

Foods with High Salt Content

Eating too many foods that are high in sodium can lead to high blood pressure.  High blood pressure reduces the blood flow to your eyes, which can cause many vision-related problems and reduce the quality of your vision. For instance, consuming too much sodium can cause bags under your eyes. You might notice your stomach feels bloody after eating something salty. Too much sodium can also cause your eyes to swell up.  Sauces, salad dressings, pickles, cheeses, instant soups, canned vegetables, and table salt are high in sodium.

Foods High in Sugar and Starch

Eating lots of foods high in sugar or starch content can increase the cause of age-related macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration affects the retina in your eye and can cause loss of vision. Foods with high traces of sugar and starch can cause cataracts and glaucoma as well. With moderate sugar intake, our bodies can break down the sugars easily.  When our body consumes to much sugar, our body releases large amounts of insulin. Too much insulin is bad for the body.  This causes damage to our blood vessels to become inflamed which can lead to any of the above diseases. White bread, cereals, processed foods, pasta, and many sweets are high in sugars and starches.

Caffeine

Drinking large amounts of caffeine is now linked to exfoliation glaucoma. Investigative Opthalmology and Visual Science supplied research that drinking 3 or more cups of caffeinated drinks per day can cause exfoliation glaucoma. This type of glaucoma can cause blindness in the long run. We aren’t saying to never drink caffeinated beverages again, but it helps to do so in moderation. The main food items that are high in caffeine are coffee, tea, and sodas.

Visit Your Cicero Eye Doctors For More Tips To Ensure Healthy Eyes

After learning the foods that you should avoid to maintain healthy eyes, why not set up a comprehensive eye exam to check if your eyes are at risk. Visit your Cicero Eye Doctors Dr. Amy and Associates for any questions and eye care needs. With our multiple locations, we are sure to have an office located near you. We look forward to working with you and your family.