Thousands of Brits don’t know eyesight is affected by nutrition

THOUSANDS of Brits have no idea that their diet can affect their eyesight, a study has found.

A poll of 2,000 adults found 49 per cent are clueless when it comes to the nutrients and vitamins which can boost eye health.

Fewer than one in 10 recognise zinc as being important for the maintenance of healthy eyes.

And only 45 per cent realise your diet can directly impact your eyes.
However, 48 per cent associate eating carrots with good eye health, which is where the UK’s knowledge of visual wellbeing and nutrition seems to stop.

The stats emerged in an ‘EyeQ’ study by Optrex to understand the nation’s true eye health intelligence.

David Cartwright, optometrist and chairman of the charity Eye Health UK, said: “Giving your ‘EyeQ’ a boost could just save your sight.

“There are one million people in the UK living with avoidable sight loss and while failing to have regular eye examinations is perhaps the biggest risk for avoidable sight loss, lifestyle factors also play a significant role.

“Understanding that your diet, how active you are, whether you smoke and how well you protect your eyes from the sun’s damaging UV can all affect your eye health could help prevent you suffering unnecessary vision impairment in the future.”

The study also found that although the eye is the fastest moving muscle in the body, with two million moving parts, eyes often remain a much lower priority than many of the other muscles used every day.

Just one in 10 said they take preventative measures to care for their long-term eye health.

And only seven per cent reckon they know a lot about the eye and how it works.

More than half also admitted that caring for their eyes is not part of their daily routine even though 67 per cent admit they actively worry about their long-term eye health.

In fact, in a year, almost half of adults spend less than £15 on caring for their eyes, excluding glasses, but spent that much per month on their physical appearance, including hair, skin and beauty regimes.

Worryingly, eight in 10 spend extended periods of time looking at a screen in their spare time, according to the research conducted through OnePoll.

And in the last 12 months, 48 per cent have suffered from tired eyes, while 56 per cent have itchy or sore eyes.

Sandra Tovio, spokeswoman for Optrex, said: “Neglecting our eyes is all too easy for so many of us, and knowing exactly what you can do on a daily basis can be difficult.

“It’s Optrex’s ambition to help as many people as possible maintain great eye health.

“We have drawn on our years of experience to create ProVision, a supplement formulated with scientifically proven ingredients.

“These include Zinc, Vitamin B2 and DHA which help to maintain normal vision, as well as Magnesium which helps contribute to normal muscle function.”

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.