Washington, July 24: Fish oils could help prevent the development of blindness in elderly people, according to an American research.
Macular degeneration is a condition usually of older adults that results in a loss of vision in the centre of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina.
It can make it difficult to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.
The findings of the research, which were published in the American Journal of Pathology, showed that a diet high in omega three oils reduced the risk of developing age related mucular degeneration, which causes loss of central vision in the eye. It is thought the fish oils work by reducing inflammation levels.
Approximately 10 per cent of patients 66 to 74 years of age will have findings of macular degeneration. The prevalence increases to 30 per cent in patients 75 to 85 years of age.
The study at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, discovered that mice put on a diet high in omega three oils had slower progression of the leisons in the eye and some improvement, the Daily Telegraph has reported.
The researchers are now working on new treatments that might delay the onset of macular degeneration, the report quoted lead author Dr Chi Chan as saying.
According to earlier research at Tufts University in Boston, a diet rich in omega three, found in mackerel and salmon, can help cut the risk of developing macular degeneration by a third in humans.
–Agencies