Amino Acids for optimal Eye Health

Amino acids are very important in eye health as they play a crucial role in maintaining eye structure, protecting against oxidative stress, and supporting vision-related function. 

The best amino acids for specific eye conditions are listed below.

Some eye conditions include:

• Dry eyes
• Detached retina
• Macular degeneration

Dry eyes are characterized by symptoms such as grittiness, burning, redness, blurred vision, and excessive tearing. They can be caused by too much screen time, aging, dehydration, low humidity, certain medications, and nutritional deficiencies.

If you do suffer from dry eyes, it is best to avoid alcohol and caffeine, because they dehydrate our bodies, as well as trans fats and processed foods because they increase inflammation in our bodies.

Symptoms of a detached retina include sudden floaters, flashes of light or shadowed vision. Any of these symptoms requires urgent medical attention. A detached retina can be caused by aging, near sightedness, trauma, diabetes, a history of eye surgery.

If there is a risk of a detached retina it’s important to avoid sudden head movements. It’s also important to avoid any heavy lifting or straining which can increase the intraocular pressure.

Macular degeneration can result in blurry central vision, dark or blank spots, and difficulty recognising faces. It can be caused by genetic susceptibility, aging, smoking, poor diet and high UV exposure.

Smoking doubles the risk of macular degeneration, so it is best avoided. It’s also important to avoid processed sugars which enhances the progression of macular degeneration, and excess blue light exposure from screens.

Listen to my interview with Brad Kirsten from Radio Cape Pulpit on 23 January 2025 to learn more. Listen to my next interview on Thursday at 7.45am.