SUNGLASSES, SPINICH HELP KEEP EYES HEALTHY

With summer just a few months away, it might be a good idea to stock up on some essentials like: sun screen, beach towels, sunglasses and -- spinach.

Researchers say foods like spinach and kale, which are rich in a nutrient called lutein, can reduce a common eye disease known as age-related macular degeneration.

The macula is a thin tissue lining the back of the eye that is responsible for sight in the center of the field of vision. It is responsible for providing detail to sight.

When a person is afflicted with AMD, the vision blurs, straight lines appear wavy and a dark area may block objects directly in the line of sight. AMD is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in people older than 55, said Dr. Steven Pratt, an ophthalmologist from Chicago.

Pratt said there is a need to protect the eyes from the ultraviolet rays of the sun through UV protected sunglasses, but proper nutrition will also go a long way to preventing AMD.

Lutein, Pratt said, is one of two carotenoids found in the macula. A carotenoid is an antioxidant, and antioxidant are nutrients that neutralize molecules that can damage health cells and trigger cancer.

A research project at the Harvard Medical School, Pratt said, found that those who consumed the most foods containing carotenoids had a 43-percent lower risk of developing AMD.

Leafy green vegetables offer the highest percentage of lutein. Spinach and kale, not only carry a great deal of lutein, they are both rich in beta-carotene.

Dr. Richard Kies, an ophthalmologist in Cape Girardeau, said good nutrition is important in keeping eyes healthy, but he cautions that taking mass quantities of nutrient supplements could also be unhealthy.

"If you take them in too large a dose you actually can create more problems for yourself than you can prevent," Kies said. "That applies to Vitamin A and some of these zinc vitamins.

"There's no question those elements tend to indirectly benefit the eyes though."

Kies said a balanced diet will provide the nutrients necessary to protect the eye. But it is important, especially during the summer when the sun's rays are more direct, to protect the eyes from too much ultraviolet radiation.

UV rays may be a cause of cataracts, Kies said. Cataracts are a yellow or brown coloration of the naturally clear lens of the eye. Kies said cataracts have been shown in some studies to block out a great percentage of ultraviolet light.

Also, Kies said, people with cataracts usually have less instances of macular degeneration.

"The presumption is this is a kind of evolutionary event that allows the eye to develop this kind of lens change as a means to protect the back of the eye," he said. "You can still see through them and that's the trade-off. You're giving a little vision to protect a lot."

Kies said studies are suggesting some nutrients like Vitamin A, which is also known as beta carotene, ingested as a part of a normal diet do benefit the eyes.

Dr. Michael Hayes, with Doctor's Value Vision in Cape Girardeau, said the best sunglasses are those that have lenses treated with a UV barrier.

"As far as I know all UV treated lenses will knock out about 98 to 99 percent of UV light," he said. "Most lenses, even just over the counter, have some UV protection although it's true that a lot of them don't have as much as they should."

The UV coating is clear, Hayes said, and has nothing to do with how dark the glasses are. The tint of sunglasses is for comfort, not protection.

"Just a regular tint won't provide much UV protection, tint and coating are two different things," he said.