Nutritional antioxidants and age-related cataract and maculopathy

Loss of vision is the second greatest, next to death, fear among the elderly. Age-related cataract (ARC) and maculopathy (ARM) are two major causes of blindness worldwide. There are several important reasons to study relationships between risk for ARC/ARM and nutrition: (1) because it is likely that the same nutritional practices that are associated with prolonged eye function will also be associated with delayed age-related compromises to other organs, and perhaps, aging in general, (2) surgical resources are insufficient to provide economic and safe surgeries for cataract and do not provide a cure for ARM, and (3) there will be considerable financial savings and improvements in quality of life if health rather than old age is extended, particularly given the rapidly growing elderly segment of our population. It is clear that oxidative stress is associated with compromises to the lens and retina. Recent literature indicates that antioxidants may ameliorate the risk for ARC and ARM. Given the association between oxidative damage and age-related eye debilities, it is not surprising that over 70 studies have attempted to relate antioxidant intake to risk for ARC and ARM. This article will review epidemiological literature about ARC and ARM with emphasis on roles for vitamins C and E and carotenoids. Since glycation and glycoxidation are major molecular insults which involve an oxidative stress component, we also review new literature that relates dietary carbohydrate intake to risk for ARC and ARM. To evaluate dietary effects as a whole, several studies have tried to relate dietary patterns to risk for ARC. We will also give some attention to this emerging research. While data from the observational studies generally support a protective role for antioxidants in foods or supplements, results from intervention trials are less encouraging with respect to limiting risk for ARC/ARM prevalence or progress through antioxidant supplementations, or maintaining higher levels of antioxidants either in diet or blood. Without more information it is difficult to parse these results. It would be worthwhile to determine why the various types of studies are not yielding similar results. However, there are many common insults and mechanistic compromises that are associated with aging, and proper nutrition early in life may address some of these compromises and provide for extended youthful function later in life. Indeed, proper nutrition, possibly including use of antioxidant supplements for the nutritionally impoverished, along with healthy life styles may provide the least costly and most practical means to delay ARC and ARM. Further studies should be devoted to identifying the most effective strategy to prevent or delay the development and progress of ARC/ARM. The efforts should include identifying the right nutrient(s), defining useful levels of the nutrient(s), and determining the age when the supplementation should begin.