Your Health
Driving Better Vision
Posted 3/31/2011
 You may be better able to stay on the road to safety if you’re sure your eyesight is optimum when you drive. (NAPSI) - In today’s world, the ability to drive often means freedom and independence.
Driving is a demanding and highly complex task relying on sensory input that is 90 percent visual. The ability of two drivers may be about the same during the daylight hours and markedly different at night. Driving safely at night requires seeing well not only under low illumination, but also requires one to see low-contrast objects.
Sensitivity to glare is a common problem faced by drivers of all ages. Glare is the disruption of vision due to a veiling luminance (such as the light from the headlights of oncoming traffic at night) being superimposed on the visual image. Glare recovery is the rapidity with which the driver’s vision function returns. The sharpest central vision occurs in the macula, which is protected by macular pigment (MP). Macular pigment consists of two antioxidants, zeaxanthin (zee-uh-zan-thin) and lutein (lu-teen).
A recent study conducted by Dr. Stuart Richer of the Department of Veterans Affairs found that supplementation with dietary zeaxanthin from marigolds improves visual acuity, shape discrimination and contrast sensitivity. Participants who received daily dietary zeaxanthin supplements also expressed significantly improved confidence in their driving ability. Dr. Richer’s research showed that glare recovery does improve significantly with supplementation of zeaxanthin and lutein. Imagine driving at 60 mph with your eyes closed for five seconds: You would travel 440 feet without seeing where you are going. Dr. Richer found photo-stress recovery time is directly related to the amount of MP in the eye: Subjects with very high MP density recover about twice as quickly as those with very low MP density. Another study by Dr. Billy Hammond also showed that supplementation with 2 mg of zeaxanthin and 10 mg of lutein resulted in an increase in MP that was directly related to improvements in glare disability and photo-stress recovery times.
Protecting and enhancing the ability to drive can be as simple as supplementing your diet with dietary zeaxanthin: Adequate levels of zeaxanthin in the center of your eyes help you maintain and improve your ability to drive and keep you safe.
More information on all-natural zeaxanthin and lutein from marigolds and the latest science can be found at www.ezeyes.info. |
