A recent US study shows that a healthy diet rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals may reduce the risk of cataract in women.

The aim of the study was to assess the association between a healthy diet and the prevalence of nuclear cataract in a sample of over 1,800 women (aged 50-79) in the United States.

Participants scoring highly in the Healthy Eating Index used in the study were found to have a significantly lower prevalence of cataract when examined four to seven years later.

According to the authors of the study, the "higher prevalence of nuclear cataract was also associated with other modifiable factors (smoking and marked obesity) and non-modifiable factors (having brown eyes, myopia, and high pulse pressure).

"These data add to the body of evidence suggesting that eating foods rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals may contribute to postponing the occurrence of the most common type of cataract in the United States." (1)

Having long recognised a relationship between eye health and general health and wellbeing, The Foundation's Indigenous Australia Program focuses on more than just eye health. We also focus on tackling the social determinants of poor health in Indigenous communities.

Through a series of interrelated projects including eye health, nutrition, community engagement and development, aural health, literacy, woman's development, and training and skills development, The Foundation is able to address the underlying causes of health inequity.

Find out how The Foundation is tackling cataract blindness in countries around the world, with the aim to eradicate avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

(1) Source: Archives of Ophthalmology Vol. 128 No. 6, June 2010