Cataract is a common eye disease in the elderly. In the early stages, it can cause blurred vision, changes in color perception, and floaters in the field of vision. So what should you do if you experience these symptoms? Let's take a look at five medicinal diets that can assist in the treatment of cataracts!
What is Cataract
Cataract is when the lens inside the eye becomes cloudy and opaque, blocking light from entering the eye and affecting vision.
In the early stages, the cloudiness has little impact on vision, but it gradually worsens and can significantly impair vision or even cause blindness.
Five Medicinal Diets for Treating Cataract
1. Steamed Longan and Goji Berry
Effects: Nourishes blood, improves vision, nourishes the liver and kidneys.
Ingredients: 30g of goji berries, 20g of longan flesh.
Preparation: Put the above ingredients in a bowl, add an appropriate amount of water, and steam until cooked.
Usage: Take in 2-3 servings.
2. Bean and Jujube Drink
Effects: Nourishes yin, tonifies kidneys, strengthens the spleen.
Ingredients: 60g of black beans, 30g of mung beans, 3 jujubes.
Preparation: Stir-fry the black beans and mung beans until fragrant, add an appropriate amount of water, and cook with the jujubes until the beans are soft.
Usage: Eat the beans and drink the juice.
3. Mulberry and Sesame Seed Candy
Effects: Nourishes the liver, clears heat, improves vision.
Ingredients: 240g of black sesame seeds, 200g of mulberry leaves, honey as needed.
Preparation: Wash and dry the mulberry leaves, grind them into a fine powder. Crush the black sesame seeds, and mix with honey and water to make a thick paste. Mix in the mulberry leaf powder and form into candy blocks.
Usage: Chew 10g each time, twice daily.
4. Chinese Cabbage and Tremella Tea
Effects: Suitable for cataracts.
Ingredients: 60g of Chinese cabbage leaves, 30g of tremella, a small amount of tea leaves.
Preparation: Cook the above ingredients with water, remove the residue, and drink the juice.
Usage: Drink as a substitute for tea.
5. Chicken Liver and Shepherd's Purse Soup
Effects: Calms the liver, improves vision.
Ingredients: 125g each of chicken liver and shepherd's purse, 1 egg, ginger powder, and salt as needed.
Preparation: Wash the chicken liver and cut into small pieces, wash the shepherd's purse and chop finely. Cook both in a pot with water, and after boiling, add the beaten egg and cook for 3 minutes. Add seasoning to taste.
Usage: Serve as a side dish.
What Cataract Patients Should Pay Attention to in Daily Life
1. Avoid prolonged viewing of TV, playing cards, or reading at close range, as this can accelerate eye muscle fatigue and visual decline.
2. Avoid using copper cookware to boil water or cook soups, as copper can dissolve some trace elements that are harmful to eliminating cataracts.
3. Avoid taking iron supplements, as cataract patients should drink more tea, and tea should not be consumed with iron supplements.
4. Avoid intense sunlight exposure, as prolonged exposure to strong light increases the risk of cortical and mixed cataracts. Therefore, protect yourself from intense sunlight.
5. Avoid dehydration. Severe dehydration in the elderly, such as frequent vomiting or diarrhea, increases the risk of cataracts by 4 times compared to normal individuals. It is important for the elderly to drink water even if they don't feel thirsty and actively prevent dehydration caused by diarrhea.
6. Limit salt intake. Observations on 3,000 middle-aged and elderly individuals aged 49-79 found that those who consumed more salt had twice the risk of developing cataracts compared to those who consumed less salt. Therefore, a light diet can help prevent and treat age-related cataracts.
