Sweetened carbonated drinks can cause blindness —Expert

Past President, Ophthalmology Society of Nigeria, Professor Sebastian Nwosu, has cautioned Nigerians against excessive intake of sweetened carbonated drinks to prevent blindness.

Professor Nwosu spoke at the official commissioning of the Sebastian Centre for Ophthalmic Research & Education (SCORE) at its maiden lecture entitled “Research & Continuing Medical Education in Today’s Nigeria” at Eleta Eye Institute, Ibadan.

He said that sugar is not a friend of the eye, adding that high blood sugar is now a common cause of unexplained visual loss among young youths in Nigeria.

The don said that taking at least two bottles of sweetened carbonated drinks every day for about three months would cause a persistently high blood sugar, and a reason to become blind.

He stated “Diabetes is first to cause cataract because the sugar in the lens will not be broken down properly. It will accumulate and cause a problem that makes the lens opaque.

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“Then after a while, it will weaken the blood vessels, resulting to bleeding in the eye. It is the bleeding that will seal everything about seeing, requiring expensive and highly specialised surgery, sometimes abroad.”

The expert, who warned of a daily increase in the number of people with poor sight and blindness induced by persistent consumption of great quantities of sugary substances, stressed the need for health education of the populace on how to minimise the incidence of diabetes.

Professor Nwosu, who disclosed that 1.1 million Nigerians are blind and another three million was partially sighted, stated the need for increased numbers of centres that can help to ensure their sights is restored.

He also stressed increased research into common diseases, including eye problems plaguing Nigerians.

A Professor of Food Technology and Chairman at the occasion, Charles Aworh said green leafy vegetables, fruits and tubers were crucial to good eyesight.

According to him, the move to westernised diet, which is high in sugar and salt, but low in fibre, aside from increasingly predispose to non-communicable diseases such as stroke and diabetes, is also affecting people’s sight.

Professor Aworh declared that people deficient in substances such as carotenoids, richly present in green leafy vegetables experience poor sight.

Earlier, the group medical director, Eleta Eye Institute, Dr Benedictus Ajayi, said the Sebastian Centre for Ophthalmic Research & Education (SCORE) to spearhead research portends a better future for eye care in Nigeria.