Low Carb diet or ketogenic or keto diet produces sustainable and significant weight loss. It reduces cholesterol and balances blood glucose levels in the body. Most of the people who consume a keto diet lose weight and enjoy other perks related to that.
However, some people complain that after switching to a low-carb diet, they started to have blurry vision. The number of people who claim to be experiencing blurry vision is small. It has nothing to do with eyesight, and it should be considered a minor issue.
Here we have taken a look at some studies and have tried to find out if the high-fat keto diet actually produces blurry vision.
The Science Behind Eyesight and Low Carb Diet
It is a well-known fact that there is a link between eye function and blood glucose level. It is because of this connection why many diabetics end up losing some or all of the eyesight.
Extremely high blood sugar is one of the most common side effects of uncontrolled diabetes. More sugar levels act like acid and damage the tiny veins in the retina. This damage to the veins causes the swelling of the retina in turn, and it affects the center of a person’s field of vision and ability to see things clearly.
This weakening of the eyesight due to diabetes is a red flag. Therefore, proper treatment should never be taken for granted. Usually, it doesn’t take longer than a year for these damaging effects to lead to permanent loss of sight.
We talked about diabetes to review the link between eyesight and high carb diets to raise blood sugar levels chronically. Among other benefits of a low-carb diet, one of the best services is that it brings blood sugar level under control. The ketogenic diet is perfect for diabetics and for those who may develop type II diabetes in the near future. Switching to this diet is their best chance to fight diabetes.
Blurry Vision and Keto
It is possible that you will experience blurry vision if you adhere to the keto diet. However, if you are diabetic, the chances that you will get blurry vision are very slim. Having said that, the following are some of the possible causes of blurry vision due to the keto diet in non-diabetics.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia occurs when the sugar level falls below the level that is necessary for the body to function properly. Symptoms of hypoglycemia can be clumsiness, shaking, hunger, confusion, sweating, and general weakness.
Hypoglycemia in people on a low-carb diet can be the result of the intake of carbs on the side. As a result of which, they experience a high concentration of glucose in the blood, followed by that blood glucose crashing dramatically, which is known as reactive hypoglycemia.
Regardless of you being a diabetic or not, this quick change in blood sugar can damage the tiny veins in the retina, causing blurry vision.
Thiamine Deficiency
A study conducted in this area noted that people who consume low-carb diets suffered from optic neuropathy, i.e., loss of peripheral and central vision due to damage to the optic nerve. When these patients treated their optic neuropathy with thiamine supplements, their eyesight came back to normal. They were also recommended vitamin B supplements to reduce the risk of this happening again in the future. Hence, blurred eyesight, muscle cramps, or fatigue may indicate a thiamine deficiency.
Keto Diet can also Improve your Vision.
The ketogenic diet can prevent future eye problems, prevent acute problems from becoming worse, and make your vision better, especially for diabetics. Following are the reasons why the low carb diet improves your vision:
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Reducing the intake of dangerous carbs lessens the risk of macular degeneration.
In many cases, age-related macular degeneration can be linked to the consumption of carbohydrates that have a high glycemic index. This includes food items like white rice, pasta, and bread, as they are high in carbs and calories. Once people switch to the keto diet, these items are eliminated from their diet altogether; therefore, the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration reduces drastically. Refraining from these dangerous carbs decreases the risk of developing reactive hypoglycemia.
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Controlling blood glucose prevents glaucoma.
Bringing blood sugars under control helps in preventing glaucoma in diabetics as well as in non-diabetics. According to a study, the keto diet protects the retina’s cells from mitochondrial diseases and sugar-driven degeneration of the eye. Mitochondrial diseases can cause disruption of peripheral eyesight and atrophy of the optic nerve.
There are multiple health benefits of the keto diet for your eyes; some of them will never come to your notice. Switching to the keto diet and adhering to it religiously can save you from many health and eye problems.
