Vision

The eyes, may as Shakespeare famously said, ?be the windows to the soul' but they can also be the source of many irritating health problems. Fortunately, most are easily resolved. Here we guide you through the ones that you may encounter.

Does eating carrots improve eyesight?

Unfortunately this is a myth. Eating carrots will not improve your eyesight if it is already good but will likely improve night vision if you have a vitamin-A deficiency. The carrot myth comes from WWII. We didn't want to alert the enemy to our new airborne interception radar technology so the government released propaganda through the Ministry of Food claiming the pilots had improved their detection rate due to eating carrots and being able to see more clearly in the dark. That said, carrots are still worth eating as they are packed with vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene which is thought to have antioxidant properties which help ward off cancer.

Cataract Surgery reduces the risk of falls

It may sound strange but having your cataract treated will also lower your risk of a hip fracture. A cataract means the lens of the eye has become misty impairing vision. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association it was found that patients who underwent cataract surgery were less likely to fracture their hips than those who didn't have surgery. The finding was actually quite logical - if you can see where you are going you are less likely to bump, fall or injure yourself.