Nutrition & Vision Research

Loss of vision is the 2nd greatest fear (next to death) among the elderly. Age-related cataract, the clouding of the eye lens, is a major public health problem. In the United States (US), approximately 20 percent and 46 percent of persons age 65-74 and 75 years or older respectively, have age-related cataract which results in visual impairment. Cataract surgery accounts for the largest line item (over $5 billion, or 12 percent) of the US Medicare budget. Age-related maculopathy (ARM), a dysfunction of the retina, afflicts approximately 6 percent of the elderly. There is no remedy for this blinding condition at present. The compromises in quality of life of our elderly and burden to our public health budgets provide major incentives to elucidate the etiology of cataract and ARM and discover means to delay the onset and or progress of these debilities.

The Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research (LNVR) devises strategies, reagents and procedures to retain and/or restore vision to those suffering from age related cataract and retinal diseases. Because stress due to modification by sugars and/or oxidants, particularly to proteins, has been shown to be causally related to these debilities, the LVNR investigates dietary components including sugars, fats, antioxidant vitamins, and pharmacological reagents as well as proteolytic enzymes which are involved in the modification, recognition, identification and removal of damaged proteins. The laboratory also seeks to determine nutrients and foods which are associated with diminished risk for ARM and cataract. Recent efforts involve elucidating genes that predispose to obesity and sugar-related compromises of the retina and lens. Our multidisciplinary approaches include clinical and nutritional-genetic-epidemiological studies, laboratory animal experiments, organ culture, cell culture and cell free studies which are conducted by scientists trained in ophthalmology, epidemiology, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology and bioinformatics.

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For more information about the Nutrition and Vision Research Laboratory, please visit the USDA, Agricultural Research Service.

Out of Sight
Vision loss is an inevitable part of aging. What you eat could help forestall it.

A Link Between Carbohydrate Quality and Vision Loss is Strengthened by New Data

Low Carbs Better for Eyesight
Limiting refined carbohydrates may stall age-related macular degeneration.

Study: Some High-Sugar Foods Linked To Vision Loss
A recent study by Tufts nutrition researchers found that the development of age-related macular degeneration may be tied to over consumption of certain carbohydrates.