Scientists Discover Gene That Causes Vision Loss; Foods That Are Good For Your Sight

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Losing your vision as you age and become old is something natural. But there are a section of people who lose their vision right in their middle age and this is something very unusual. Also this is something which is believed to be on the rise in the past few years.

The most worrying part is, majority of the people still do not know what exactly is the cause for this condition. Well, if you are one among the victims or you have one in the family suffering from this problem then you need to check this out.

Recently a team of scientists have discovered the cause for this problem. It is a gene that may damage eye cells by gradual degeneration of retina, and lead to sight-loss among the middle age people.

According to the scientists it is the chemical changes in the eye that can lead to blindness in middle-age.

Details Of The Study:
During the study the team of researchers examined how changes in a gene - known as RPGR - can damage eye cells to cause a disorder known as X-linked retinitis pigmentosa - a chronic hereditary eye disease characterized by black pigmentation and gradual degeneration of the retina.

The sad part is that the condition is incurable and affects night and peripheral vision before gradually causing blindness in middle age.

For the study the team from the University of Edinburgh took skin samples from two patients and transformed stem cells - which can change into any cell type - into light-sensing eye cells known as photoreceptors. They compared these with cells from healthy relatives of the patients.

Photoreceptors - which decay in retinitis pigmentosa patients - differed in their fundamental structure when compared with those from family members.

Meanwhile, follow-up studies in mice identified key molecules that interact with RPGR to maintain the structure of photoreceptors.

When RPGR is flawed, the structure is compromised and photoreceptors cannot function correctly, leading to sight loss.

Dr Roly Megaw, who is the lead researcher of the study says that with a better understanding of the RPGR gene and its effects on photoreceptor cells, they hope to come out with treatment measures as well in the near future.

The research was presented on September 5 at the Eye Development and Degeneration 2017 conference in Edinburgh, and is published in the journal of Nature Communications.

Few Foods That Are Good For Your Eyesight:

Carrots:
Carrots contain beta carotene and is known for its antioxidant properties. Adding carrot to your daily diet whether cooked or in raw form carrots help in preventing macular degeneration and cataracts.

Broccoli:
Broccoli is rich in vitamin A and and added to it the antioxidants present in broccoli helps in preventing any vision loss. Broccoli can be consumed sauteed, steamed or raw in the form of salads.

Spinach:
All green leafy vegetables are good for the eyes. Spinach contains lutein and zeaxanthin that prevents cell damage. Also lutein helps in making the eye muscles stronger and keeps any kind of eye infections at bay.

Nuts:
Nuts like almonds, apricots and cashew are rich in vitamin E. Having these nuts on a daily basis helps in preventing cataract, eye muscle degeneration and vision loss.