My eyesight has never been good. I've worn glasses most of my life and as I get older that's a situation that I've only expected to get worse. When the Trust Me, I'm A Doctor team suggested that I try taking supplements to improve my eyesight, though, I was sceptical, particularly as I am not a fan of supplements.
Nonetheless I headed off to meet Prof John Barbur of City University in London to have my eyesight thoroughly tested. He was particularly interested in my retina, the light sensitive part of the eye, and made me stare at a computer screen in the dark for hours, having tests flashed up at me which thoroughly and precisely measured the limitations of my perception of different colours, my night vision and my detection of faint and small objects.
He also measured the level of protection that the most delicate area of my retina - the macula - had against damage from high energy blue and UV light. This protection is, in effect, a kind of natural sunscreen that we have covering the light-detecting cells, and is made up of yellowish "macular pigments".
The results of my tests were both fascinating and depressing. My detection of yellow and blue colours was extremely poor - something that Prof Barbur said was likely the result of my brush with diabetes many years ago. My night vision and perception of details were also poor compared with younger people - but consistent with my age.
The Trust Me team then handed me a 90-day supply of supplement pills that were supposed to help. They contained concentrations of certain compounds found in coloured plants. These were extracted from marigolds, but two of the key chemicals - lutein and zeaxanthin - are also found in a range of things we eat more commonly.
Nonetheless I headed off to meet Prof John Barbur of City University in London to have my eyesight thoroughly tested. He was particularly interested in my retina, the light sensitive part of the eye, and made me stare at a computer screen in the dark for hours, having tests flashed up at me which thoroughly and precisely measured the limitations of my perception of different colours, my night vision and my detection of faint and small objects.
He also measured the level of protection that the most delicate area of my retina - the macula - had against damage from high energy blue and UV light. This protection is, in effect, a kind of natural sunscreen that we have covering the light-detecting cells, and is made up of yellowish "macular pigments".
The results of my tests were both fascinating and depressing. My detection of yellow and blue colours was extremely poor - something that Prof Barbur said was likely the result of my brush with diabetes many years ago. My night vision and perception of details were also poor compared with younger people - but consistent with my age.
The Trust Me team then handed me a 90-day supply of supplement pills that were supposed to help. They contained concentrations of certain compounds found in coloured plants. These were extracted from marigolds, but two of the key chemicals - lutein and zeaxanthin - are also found in a range of things we eat more commonly.
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