This year, Macular Degeneration Awareness Week is 22-28 May. Experts advise that, while there is no cure, the key to avoiding blindness may be found in the refrigerator.

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 60 years of age in Australia. The disorder affects a tiny patch of the retina, called the macula, which is responsible for fine, detailed vision.

In the initial stages, symptoms are vague – blurred sight, missing or distorted (wavy) central vision. Once it’s developed, the aim is to keep it under control and fend off further vision loss.

“The thing is, people can genuinely lower their risk of developing macular degeneration by eating foods that are big on nutrients and good for eye health,” says Dr Devinder Chauhan of Vision Eye Institute. “I tell all of my patients – and their relatives – to follow a few simple dietary rules and they can greatly reduce the risk of losing vision.”

Alan Kell wishes she had known this sooner. “Around ten years ago, I began to think they started printing the telephone book with lighter ink!” says the 90 year old. “But I knew I was kidding myself, so I had an assessment and it was discovered that I had macular degeneration.

Recommendations for reducing macular degeneration

“Fortunately, foods that are good for eyes are also good for the rest of your body. What’s more, they taste great, so there’s really no excuse not to eat for good eye health.”

The advice can be summed up in three words: Fish. Green. Gold.

Fish
Omega 3 fatty acids can be found in fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, and to a lesser degree, tuna.

A 2008 European study concluded that those who ate oily fish at least once per week halved their risk of developing neovascular ("wet") macular degeneration, compared with those who ate fish less than once per week.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s fresh, frozen or even from a can – cold water fish is packed with nutrients,” says Dr Chauhan. “I tell people to eat it three times a week – an easy to make salmon sandwich for lunch, a dinner with ocean trout and something easy such as a salmon nicoise salad or even homemade fish cakes.”

Green
“I take pleasure in saying ‘eat your greens’ to my patients,” jokes Dr Chauhan.
“Leafy greens are high on the priority list of foods my patients should eat.”

These foods are chocked full of lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients that can help stem the development of macular degeneration. They include spinach, kale, cavolo nero and any green vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. Great boiled, blanched or in a salad.

Aim to have a serving every day – a salad for lunch, sautéed spinach or coleslaw with dinner– there are many ways to eat these foods and not get sick of them.

Gold
Yellow vegetables such as pumpkin, corn, yellow capsicum and sweet potatoes are also full of lutein, zeaxanthin as well as vitamins.

There are many meal ideas that cover this category – corn fritters, an easy to make peperonata, a salad or a side dish of sweet potatoes will all work.

And…
Nuts, seeds, legumes, brown rice, quinoa and whole wheat breads are all super easy to add to a daily diet.

Also important are gold and orange fruits – or any brightly coloured fruit for that matter. Oranges, pawpaw, rockmelon, blueberries, cranberries raspberries and strawberries are all terrific.

No time like the present
Mr Kell said he and Dr Chauhan had a long talk about diet. “Turns out I had a very stable and healthy diet anyway, so I was told to continue as is. But I’m sure there are people who don’t eat well all the time, so getting the word out is important.”

Mr Kell has ongoing treatment. “Because I was diagnosed early on, I was able to keep good vision. Today I drive, play golf and lead an active life – something I might not have been able to do if I didn’t act promptly and if my diet wasn’t healthy.”

Dr Chauhan couldn’t agree more. “There are literally hundreds of thousands of people on a path to macular degeneration and don’t know it. It’s imperative to have regular tests once you hit 60, and if anything seems amiss, see your eye specialist immediately.”

“On top of that, if everyone understands that they can wipe out their genetic risk of developing the disease if they just eat the right food, so many lives would be changed for the better.”

Delicious recipes that are easy to make:
Recipes incorporating foods for good eye health can be found here http://www.visioneyeinstitute.com.au/newsroom/recipes/