Fish Oil may help prevent blindness

Fish oils could help prevent the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

EATING foods like salmon packed with essential omega 3 and fish oils can help prevent blindness in old age, according to scientists.

At least 500,000 people in Britain are affected by macular degeneration, a condition where cells in the back of the eye degrade causing loss of central vision.

A study carried out by experts at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, in America, found that mice fed a diet high in omega three oils had slower progression of the leisons in the eye and some improvement.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Pathology.

Dr Chi Chan, lead author said the team are now working on new treatments that might delay the onset of macular degeneration.

It is though the fish oils work by reducing inflammation levels.

Earlier research has found that a diet rich in omega three, found in mackerel and salmon, can reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration by a third in humans. Progression of advanced disease was 25 per cent less likely in those eating two portions of oily fish a week, according to the research carried out at Tufts University in Boston, America.

Researchers have found the key oily fish ingredients can protect against the leading cause of blindness, age-related macular degeneration, known as AMD.

A previous study has already found eating fatty fish, like salmon, tuna and mackerel, twice a week could prevent the onset of the disease, substantially slashing the risk of both early and late stages of the condition.

Regularly eating oily fish has also been found to ward off Alzheimer’s disease and keep the heart healthy.

Now scientists at the National Eye Institute in Maryland have tested a high omega 3 diet on mice and found those eating more fish oils had lower levels of AMD.

In some mice, the enriched diet even helped improve the condition. In a report that will appear in the American Journal of Pathology next month, the scientists said: “The results provide the scientific basis for omega 3 fatty acids in the prevention and treatment of AMD. The results in these mice are in line with the studies of AMD risk reduction and we plan to use this model to evaluate other therapies that might delay the development of the disease.” AMD usually strikes after the age of 50. About 90 per cent of cases are untreatable and the disease affects 500,000 Britons.

Initially it causes blurred or distorted central vision but worsens over time to cause partial or total blindness.

It is caused when tissue at the back of the eye, Bruch’s Membrane, becomes clogged with natural waste products which block vital nutrients from passing into the retina.

This leads to the death of retinal cells and eventual blindness in one or both eyes.

In “youthful” eyes, enzymes clear away this debris, but as the ageing process sets in, the body’s natural waste-disposal system becomes weak and unable to deal with its workload.

Some people are more at risk than others due to their age and family history, with women and smokers at the greatest risk of suffering from the condition.