The retina acts much the same as film in a camera. It captures the images created by your eye optics and starts the chemical and electronic events that trigger nerve impulses and allow your brain to process what you are seeing.
Because of this, maintaining retina health is very important for your vision.
Many different nutrients help contribute to good eye health, and one of the most beneficial of those is omega 3. Known for contributing to your overall health, recent studies have shown the specific benefits that omega 3 have on your eye and in particular on the retina.
How Are Omega 3 And Retina Health Connected?
Because 30% of the retina is made of one of the most important omega 3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in order to maintain retina health it makes sense that you should include omega 3 as part of your regular diet.
DHA is actually one of the most important nutrients as it is found in almost every cell of our bodies.
DHA can protect the eye itself from ageing. A study conducted by the US National Eye Institute has said that omega 3 reduces the risk of age related blindness by over 30%. It also helps the eye by acting as an anti-inflammatory.
Recently, a component of DHA was found to protect the photoreceptors in the retina during their renewal process. It was suggested that disrupting the DHA component contributed to retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration occurs when we lose our ‘central vision’. It usually starts as a black spot at the centre of the eye and can spread out.
There have been recent findings that have shown a direct association between an increased consumption of omega 3 fatty acids with decreased events of diseases such as macular degeneration.
Where To Find Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Since our bodies cannot produce DHA or Omega 3 fats by itself, we are dependent on our diet to ensure we meet the daily recommended doses.
Some sources of omega 3 include fatty fish such as tuna, salmon, arctic char, mackerel etc. However, since a lot of the fish in our oceans are polluted with toxins such as mercury, too much consumption of fish can lead to a dangerous abundance of these toxins. Indeed, Government recommendations now are that we don’t exceed 2 portions of oily fish per week, for this very reason.
Because of this, fish oil supplements are recommended as a good substitute.
When choosing fish oil supplements, ensure they have gone through the proper distillation process to remove any traces of mercury or other toxins, and that they are fresh and not stale. This ensures maximum benefit and limits any unwanted side effects.
The fish oil supplement I take every day is molecularly filtered, and is the cleanest and freshest fish oil on the market. It’s also significantly cheaper than some products I examined too! You can buy it online here.
The Overall Benefits
As stated above, omega 3 fatty acids are a major component in keeping the eye healthy during its regenerative and renewal process.
Also, they are a component in preventing diseases such as macular degeneration and they help a developing child build up a healthy retina from the start.
