As many of you know, I have been trying for the last several years to educate my patients on the many beneficial properties of Omega-3 fatty acids (so called fish oils). Diets high in fish oils and low in vegetable oils have been shown to reduce the risk of macular degeneration. Many studies in the last year or so have detailed case after case where these natural and essential dietary compounds are able to lessen the risk of vision loss and actually improve vision in several cases. NOW, researchers are discovering how. It appears that the cells underneath the retina (the retinal pigment epithelium or RPE for short) contain high amounts of DHA, one of the Omega-3 fatty acids. The RPE cells use the DHA to produce a substance, NPD1 that actually can turn off genes that produce substances that are harmful to the retina. WOW, fish oil can protect the eye by turning off harmful genes. The author of this recent study is quoted as saying “DHA has been shown by Dr. Bazan to promote survival and inhibit cell death not only of photoreceptor cells, but also of neurons in an experimental model of Alzheimer’s disease.”

So…If you want your eyes to be healthy and possibly prevent future injury and macular degeneration, I recommend taking (with input from your physician of course) a high quality fish oil such as that provided by Carlson Labs.