The Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) has advised Nigerians to adopt a healthy lifestyle that would save them from suffering from preventable diseases like diabetes.
John Samssedi, the state chairman of the association, told NAN on Tuesday that diabetes occurs when there is excess sugar in the body.
November 14 marks the World Diabetes Day.
Samssedi said excess sugar on the different structures of the eye can suddenly cause one to also develop cataract.
Cataract is the clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye; for people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged –up window.
“One of the important organs affected when there is increased sugar intake more than the body can handle is the eye and that is called high blood sugar,” he said.
“High blood sugar affects the different structures of the eye like the lens and the retina; when it affects the lens, the person suddenly begins to develop cataract even when he or she is not supposed to develop it.
“It can also cause what we call diabetic retinopathy, which causes the retina to suddenly begin to swell and thereby causes blood to leak from the blood vessel.
“These are some of the things that can affect the eye when there is diabetes in the body.”
He warned Nigerians about the risk of adopting foreign lifestyles and abandonment of local foods for junk foods that could easily make people suffer from diabetes.
He lamented that Nigerians now preferred shawarma and ice cream, among other foreign junk foods, to vegetables.
Samssedi advised people to adjust their lifestyle pattern, eat a balanced diet, rest well and increase their physical activities to stay healthy.
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