Green Tea May Protect Eyes from Glaucoma and Other Diseases

Earlier this week, the American Chemical Society released a study indicating that the healthful substances found in green tea may benefit the long term health of your eyes. According to the study, the powerful antioxidants in green tea penetrate eye tissues. Therefore, it is highly possible that green tea may protect against a variety of serious eye diseases, including glaucoma.

Researchers have listed green tea "catechins" as part of the group of antioxidants which may protect your eyes from disease. These include:

• Vitamin C
  
• Vitamin E
  
• Lutein
  
• Zeaxanthin
  

This is the first study to demonstrate that the catechins in green tea actually pass from the stomach through the blood stream, ultimately getting absorbed by tissues in the eye. These studies, which analyzed the eye tissues of rats that consumed green tea, demonstrated that their eye structures absorbed substantial amounts of these catechins.

The rats participating in the study experienced a reduction of harmful oxidative stress in their eyes for as long as 20 hours. This has led researchers to conclude that regular consumption of green tea may be an excellent way to reduce oxidative stress in the eye.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in elderly Americans. It is caused by an increase in intraocular pressure which ultimately does permanent damage to the retina. This study may provide people with an easy, healthy, and inexpensive method to help prevent the development of glaucoma.

Please contact the LASIK Directory today to find an experienced ophthalmologist near you.