Cutting Carbs May Protect Your Eyes

Glaucoma is a condition that damages the optic nerve and is one of the leading causes of vision loss in people over the age of 60. An analysis of diet and health data on 185,000 health professionals found that maintaining a long-term diet low in carbohydrates and high in vegetable sources of fat and protein was linked to a 20% reduced risk of primary open-angle glaucoma with early paracentral visual loss. Researcher Dr. Louis Pasquale writes, “It’s important to note that a low-carbohydrate diet won’t stop glaucoma progression if you already have it, but it may be a means to preventing glaucoma in high-risk groups… If more patients in these high-risk categories—including those with a family history of glaucoma—adhered to this diet, there might be fewer cases of vision loss.” Eye, July 2020