Everyone knows that carrots are good for the eyes. However, some believe that eating more green vegetables, especially broadleaf vegetables, also helps to avert the risk of cataracts. True or false? We asked Professor Paolo Vinciguerra, Head of Ophthalmology Center at Humanitas and Professor at Humanitas University.

“True. Foods such as green leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes and, in general, all foods rich in vitamin K – explains the expert – have been shown to help slow down the risk of cataracts. Although recent studies have shown that vitamin K deficiency is a somewhat more specific protective factor for maintaining crystal transparency, however, all other vitamins are also important for eye health. In fact, avitaminosis, that is to say, vitamin deficiencies, are generally associated with damage to transparency and therefore to cataracts. For example, the benefits of vitamin E to the eyes are now known, but vitamin D also helps in the treatment of the dry eye. Finally, the diet, although rich in all vitamins, does not seem to be sufficient on its own to avoid cataracts. The fact that the age at which cataracts appear is decreasing, and today a population of younger patients who are feeding better also suffer from cataracts, seems to indicate that perhaps some known environmental factors and others that we are not aware of also come into play. We know that electromagnetic pollution, X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared are the cause of cataracts, but we still know little about how the fields of Wi-Fi, mobile phones, TV, radio and screens affect the health of the lens.