A diet rich in saturated fat and cholesterol may increase the risk of one common cause of blindness, macular degeneration, while healthy eating appears to lower the risk of another, cataracts, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin Medical School found. The unhealthy diet was found to increase by 80% the risk of macular degeneration, a condition that affects about 25% of Americans over age 65 and is the most common cause of blindness in the elderly.

In a separate study, the team found that people taking vitamin supplements had a 40% lower risk of cataracts and that those who ate more fiber in breads and cereals had less severe cataracts.