The blueberry for the well-being of sight: this is how it favors it. Have you ever heard that those who eat blueberries see better? Did you know that the blueberry is a small berry very useful for the eyesight? Let’s try to understand what lies behind these statements and how important blueberry can be for the eyesight.
The Blueberry and view
The retina is a nervous tissue that covers almost the entire inside of the eye. This structure captures light stimuli and converts them into signals that are sent to the brain through the optic nerve. The retina, therefore, is essential for a good vision but it is very delicate and at high risk of oxidative stress. Obstructing oxidation with antioxidants becomes, therefore, a valid strategy to avoid these risks. The blueberries, being rich in antioxidant elements, they become valuable to our visual process. The protective action against possible oxidative stress damage resides in berries containing anthocyanin glucosides, colored pigments responsible for blue coloring.
These compounds have different functions at the sight level:
– strengthen the capillaries improving their elasticity and tone so that the eye can maintain its visual capacity
– improve blood circulation at the retina level
– prevent or delay problems related to macular degeneration (central area of the retina)
– improve visual sensitivity in the dark, favoring and increasing the regeneration of rhodopsin, a retinal pigment essential for twilight vision
– present a capillary protective property useful in case of capillary fragility on the retina
The ability of the anthocyanin components of the bilberry, ie to increase the antioxidant defense mechanisms in the retina, has been demonstrated by a Canadian study carried out on rabbits in which a retinal degeneration was specifically induced.
The berries are also rich in Vitamin A or retinol, which makes blueberry really important for your eyes.
Blueberry for the eyes: how to take it
We said that for the sight, the action resides in the berries that, harvested when fully ripe, allow us to prepare excellent juices and jams. Assuming them fresh would be ideal but, not having them always available, you can consume them in the form of:
– Decoction: you can use the berries or the powder of the fruits, placed in a saucepan, covered with water and brought to a boil. After letting them simmer for a period of time that can vary from 5 (in case of powder) to 15 minutes, it is filtered and transferred to a cup. Leave to cool slightly and then drink.
– Drops: in the form of mother tincture, to be diluted in a little water, generally away from meals
– Tablets: standardized dry extract, ie the content of the active ingredients (in this case anthocyanosides) is expressed so that the quantity of the substance being taken is known to be used in the right quantity.
– Eye drops: given the importance of the blueberry for the eyesight ocular drops have been formulated with distilled water based on the blueberry which, in addition to relieving any discomfort, will also present a protective action. Installation of 1/2 drops 2 times a day can be of considerable help.
