Protect your eyesight from hazards of modern life

LAS CRUCES – Blue light is not just a superstore sales alert but a part of our everyday life that can impact our health.

Blue light from smart phones, flat screen TVs, fluorescent light bulbs, and our computer screens can be something many of us are exposed to for four, eight or even 12 or more hours daily. And it can damage our eyes, specifically our retinas.

But there’s a lot we can do to help protect our eyesight from hazards of modern life, according to Marianne McLaughlin. a certified nutrition therapist and a nutrition coach with Natural Grocers in Las Cruces..

Lutein, a powerful phytonutrient, (in cooking and supplements) can help shield us from the damaging effects of blue light and more, McLaughlin said.

“We get blue light from the atmosphere as well, but our bodies are equipped to handle that with diet. What we from all the devices we use and view can be more extreme than what a typical diet can offer,” McLaughlin said.

Foods rich in lutein include Brussels sprouts, honeydew melon, collard greens, broccoli, spinach, kale, corn, orange peppers, kiwi fruit, grapes, orange juice, zucchini, squash, green peas, egg yolks, persimmons and tangerines.

Such foods should be consumed in combination with healthy fats, which help improve absorption of lutein as well as aid in other issues such as dry eye, McLaughlin said.

Though light is, of course, essential to vision “too much can create photodamage, which injures the sensitive structure and tissues in the eye," McLaughlin said.

"The lens and macula both store up lutein to provide antioxidant support and high energy light absorption. Lutein and zeaxanthin are the only two antioxidants in the eye." she said. "And lutein plays the primary role; it absorbs the high energy light to filter it out from damaging the eye.”

Keep an eye out

According to McLaughlin, “blue light, along with lifestyles that mean we do not have access to enough natural light during the day, or to total darkness at night, can keep you awake at night, affect your melatonin production and your circadian rhythm,” (which impacts human behavior and physiology with a 24-hour period)."

“The display screens of computers, electronic notebooks, smartphones and other digital devices emit significant amounts of blue light," Gary Heiting, O.D. (doctor of optometry) states in “Blue Light: Bad for Your Vision?” on allaboutvision.com. "The amount of HEV (blue) light these devices emit is only a fraction of that emitted by the sun. But the amount of time people spend using these devices and the proximity of these screens to the user's face have many eye doctors and other health care professionals concerned about possible long-term effects of blue light on eye health,”Heiting said.

Heiting notes that Apple has added a new feature called “Night Shift” to several of its devices “in response to consumer concerns and media coverage of the possible disruption of our circadian rhythm. This blue light-filtering feature uses your iOS device's clock and geolocation to determine when it's sunset in your location and automatically shifts the colors of your display to the warmer end of the visible light spectrum. In the morning, the display returns to its normal brightness and color settings.”

At present, there is no conclusive research about the effectiveness of such features, Heiting said.

“Until research findings become available, it's hard to say if Night Shift is a valuable sleep aid for digital device users (particularly for those who use their phones and other devices right up to bedtime) or just a gimmick,” Heiting stated in an April online publication.

“I’ve also tried special glasses that are supposed to filter blue light,” said McLaughlin, who adds that she did not find them particularly helpful.

Diet can help

In the meantime, she focusing on recipes that increase her daily lutein intake. She teaches a class at Natural Grocers called “Cooking With the Power of Lutein: Foods to Supercharge Eye, Brain & Skin Health.”

“It’s better to get everything you need for eye health and optimum health in general through diet rather than supplements if you can,” McLaughlin believes. “But to get what some people may need through diet, you’d have to eat a huge amount of food, so some people decide to take lutein supplements, too,” she said.

Rodger Lewis, a Las Cruces optometrist, said he recommends lutein supplements for his patients because studies have shown it's important for a variety of eye health issues.

"It's a good idea to take 40 mg (milligrams) of lutein every day and I tell my patients to take a supplement. I think all optometrists and opthalmologists, are telling people to take lutein, or at least take a multivitamin that includes lutein," Lewis said.

McLaughlin added that lutein also has other benefits, “for brain health and skin health and some studies show it may be a factor in slowing cognitive decline.”

Eye risk

Lutein can be effective for  a variety of  eye-related conditions.

“Some studies suggest that eating higher amounts of lutein might decrease the risk of developing cataracts. Also, early research suggests that taking lutein three times weekly for up to two years can improve vision in elderly people with cataracts,”  according to webmd, which also reports that it is possibly effective for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

“Studies suggest that people who consume higher amounts of lutein in their diet have a reduced risk of developing AMD. However, increasing dietary intake of lutein might not reduce the risk of AMD in people who already have a high intake of lutein. Taking lutein supplements for up to 12 months can improve some symptoms of AMD, but it does not seem to prevent AMD from becoming worse,” WebMD reports.

As always, it’s a good idea to check with your health care practitioner before making any major changes in your diet. Consuming large amounts of certain dark green vegetables, for instance, might impact individuals on some medications, such as blood thinners.

Personally, McLaughlin said, she has found that a new approach to diet and nutrition has resulted in many beneficial changes in her life.

“I used to focus on being skinny and took my health for granted. Then, I turned 40 and started getting sick and having things go wrong. I met a chiropractor and nutritionist and I found I wanted to do something different, so after a long career in the wireless industry, I decided to go back to school and learn about nutrition. I discovered the right nutrition made a lot of differences, with better digestion, and I sleep better and more deeply and manage stress better,” she said.

S. Derrickson Moore may be reached at 575-541-5450, dmoore@lcsun-news.com or @derricksonmoore on Twitter.

Eat your veggies

Las Cruces nutritionist Marrianne McLaughlin recommends some favorite recipes to help you add more lutein to your diet.

Roasted Vegetable Medley

1 medium red onion, ¾ inch wedges

1 large beet, ¾ inch wedges

3 medium carrots, ½ inch wedges

½ pound Brussels sprouts, halved

2 cups sweet potato, ¾ inch dice

1 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Topping ingredients

1 garlic clove, finely minced

¼ cup Parmesan or Romano Cheese

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

1 tablespoon Italian flat leaf parsley

(In a pinch, you can use dried herbs to replace fresh)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Put onion, beets, carrots, Brussels sprouts and sweet potato into a mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Toss to ensure an even coating of oil. Place vegetables in a 10 by15 glass baking dish. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring 1 to 2 times for even browning. Remove when tender. Combine garlic, cheese, pepper, salt rosemary, oregano, parsley. Rub the mixture between your fingers to bring out the flavors of the herbs. Sprinkle vegetables with the herb and cheese mixture. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serves six. Nutrients: Beta Carotene 235%DV, Lutein + Zeaxanthin 26,502 mcg, Vitamin C 63%

Source: “Visionary Kitchen” by Sandra Young, OD

Not-So-Green, Green Smoothie

½ cup orange juice

½ cup coconut water

½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 bunch kale (1 to 2 cups)

½ cup frozen spinach

¼ avocado (peeled and pitted)

1 scoop protein powder of your choice

Honey or stevia (to taste)

Blend all items together until smooth.

Source: Natural Grocers

Sunshine Eggs

2 acorn squash

6 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons dried cherries or raisins

¼ cup walnut halves or pieces

Fresh parsley, rosemary, or sage to garnish

Maple syrup to garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375 F. Slice squash crosswise so that each ring is ¾ inch thick. Remove the seeds and places rings on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Chop the walnut pieces and dried fruit into smaller pieces. Remove squash from oven and drizzle with a little olive oil. Crack an egg into the center of the ring and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Then top the egg and ring with the walnut/fruit mixture. Return rings to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until eggs are done to your liking. Garnish and serve with fresh herbs and maple syrup.

Source: Natural Grocers