An ophthalmologist has advised pregnant women to consume a sufficient daily amount of lutein to protect their eyes.
As nutrients are transferred to the fetus, the mother could develop omega-3 and lutein deficiencies, which could leave the retina malnourished and cause the mother to become more susceptible to visual acuity loss or macular bleeding, China Medical University Hsinchu Hospital director of ophthalmology Chen Ying-shan (陳瑩山) said.
Such risks could be aggravated by severe myopia or excessive use of blue light-emitting devices, he said.
Abnormal light sensitivity, eye fatigue and blurry vision are early warning signs to reduce screen time and eat more foods that improve eye health, he added.
Fish and flaxseed oils are excellent sources of omega-3, while a bowl of spinach is deemed to contain the sufficient daily amount of lutein, Chen said.
Doctors also recommend that pregnant women eat an egg per day, as they contain lutein and substances that facilitate absorption, such as calcium and zinc, he said.
Women over 40 are more likely to develop glaucoma due to falling estrogen levels associated with menopause, making the visual nerves less resilient, he added.
People with high ocular pressure should use atropine eye drops and eat more foods that contain omega-3, as well as fruits and vegetables, which are rich in vitamins A, C and E, Chen said.
This diet could also ameliorate dry eyes, a condition that occurs more frequently among menopausal and post-menopausal women than men, he said.
Leaving a tray of water in an air-conditioned room, applying a hot compress and reducing screen time could also improve dry eyes, he added.
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The cosponsors of a new US sanctions package targeting Russia on Thursday briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation and said the legislation would also have a deterrent effect on China and curb its ambitions regarding Taiwan. The bill backed by US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal calls for a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports — targeting nations such as China and India, which account for about 70 percent of Russia’s energy trade, the bankroll of much of its war effort. Graham and Blumenthal told The Associated Press
RSS