If your doctor tells you that you’re developing a cataract, it means that the lens in one of your eyes is becoming less transparent. As this normally crystal-clear disk begins to cloud over, you might have trouble seeing into the distance, words on a page may appear blurry, or you could find yourself wishing that your eyeglasses were stronger. Oddly enough, cataracts may actually cause strange improvements in vision when they first occur. If you suddenly notice that you no longer need your reading glasses to scan the newspaper, suspect a cataract.
Cataracts ultimately interfere with clear vision, but if they are treated properly, they generally aren’t blinding or life-threatening. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, cataracts are not an emergency," says Robert Abel Jr., M.D., clinical professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and author of The Eyecare Revolution. You should go to an eye doctor for a thorough examination at least once every two years. Your doctor will be able to tell you if you have cataracts, and if so, what stage they’ve reached.
The progression of cataracts can be slowed or even reversed with the right vitamins, says Dr. Abel, but he advises that you check with your doctor before taking supplements. "The perfect people to try supplements as treatment are those with early or intermediate cataracts—the kind they may not even be aware of yet," he says. By taking some supplements for as little as six months, some people can get out of what Dr. Abel calls the cataract surgery zone.
Antioxidants Keep Things Clear
Most of the evidence for supplements’ effect on cataracts points to vita mins C and E and selenium.
The lens of the eye has the second highest concentration of vitamin C of any organ in the body, says Mark Lamden, N.D., a naturopathic doctor and adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University in Bothell, Washington. Any vitamin C that you get—from food or supplements—can help your lenses in a big way.
There’s another reason to take vitamin C, however. It’s an antioxidant, and you need its power because the eyes are prime sites of what are called oxidative processes. Any time we burn energy, it’s a metabolic process that involves oxygen molecules. The eyes, says Dr. Abel, are the most metabolically active parts of the body. "For the eyes, it’s constant oxidation," he says, "and even though oxidation is a normal life process, it exerts a lot of wear and tear."
Research suggests that when it comes to vitamin C and cataract prevention, commitment is the key. A study of 247 nurses at Tufts University in Boston showed that women who took vitamin C supplements for 10 years or more were much less likely to have signs of cataracts than those who never took the vitamin.
If you have cataracts, you should take 3,000 to 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C in divided doses throughout the day, recommends Dr. Lamden.
Scavengers for Better Vision
Vitamin E and selenium are other antioxidants that have been associated with reduced risk of cataracts. Like vitamin C, they scavenge free radicals, the free-roaming, unstable molecules that wreak a lot of damage on cells. Because of their free radical–scavenging abilities, vitamin E and selenium help prevent or clear up cloudiness in the lens. Research has shown that people with cataracts often have low levels of selenium in their blood and in the aqueous humor—the fluid within the eyeball—compared to people without cataracts.
Although vitamin E and selenium are present in some foods such as whole grains and vegetable oils, you would have a hard time getting significant amounts of either nutrient from food. "There’s no way you could eat enough of the right foods to get the high doses necessary for real nutrition therapy," says Dr. Lamden. Fortunately, that’s where supplements come into the picture.
For people already diagnosed with cataracts, Dr. Lamden recommends 800 to 1,200 international units (IU) of natural vitamin E and 400 micrograms of selenium a day. To help keep cataracts from forming in the first place, a lower daily dose of 400 to 800 IU of Vitamin E is ample. Since these are high doses of both supplements, however, you should talk to your doctor first.
The mineral zinc is another nutrient that can help halt hazy sight, says Dr. Lamden. In studies, it has been noted that the lenses of people with cataracts tend to be lacking in zinc. If you have cataracts, Dr. Lamden recommends 30 to 60 milligrams of zinc every day. These doses also require medical supervision.
A good dose of riboflavin—which boosts glutathione levels in the body—may also help prevent cataracts. A study at the State University of New York at Stony Brook found that people who received the most riboflavin were much less likely to have cataracts than those who received smaller amounts. The connection, once again, appears to be antioxidants. The body uses riboflavin to manufacture glutathione, a powerful compound that battles free radicals. When you don’t get enough riboflavin, glutathione levels fall, and that gives free radicals more time to damage the eyes.
