Sunlight, lack of antioxidants tied to eye disease
A combination of sunlight exposure and low blood levels of antioxidants may make older adults more vulnerable to a common vision-robbing disease called age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, researchers have found. For their study, published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, the investigators assessed 4,753 adults of ages 65 and up, roughly half of whom had AMD. The researchers found that participants with the lowest levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc and zeaxanthin combined appeared vulnerable to blue light exposure. For every unit increase in blue light exposure, their risk of AMD climbed by 40 percent. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses will help shield the eyes from the sun, the researchers note.