Return to traditional diets could help prevent eye diseases

Blood sugar levels test (Photo: http://www.eyeqindia.com)

The Ophthalmological Society of South Africa has raised concern over the increasing number of people in their 30s and 40s developing Type 2 diabetes, which heightens the risk of cataracts.

Society representative Mpopi Lenake said research shows lifestyle factors such as obesity, smoking, long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays without sunglasses, and poor diets are driving the trend.

Separately, renowned ophthalmologist Dr. Helena Ndume echoed these concerns, warning that diabetes-related blindness has surged in Namibia to what she described as a “pandemic.”

“Fast food and sugar-heavy diets are fueling diabetes, which unfortunately cannot be cured—only managed. We are seeing the number of blind patients rise dramatically.”

She added that for many Namibians, the affordability of healthy food remains a challenge, with cheap alternatives such as bread, fizzy drinks, and fried foods dominating household diets.

Ndume called for a return to traditional, organic diets once common in rural Namibia, which included millet-based meals, beans, sour milk, fermented drinks like oshikundu, and seasonal vegetables and fish. She stressed that such diets were nutrient-rich and helped prevent chronic diseases.

Both experts agree that urgent lifestyle changes are needed to curb the growing epidemic of diabetes and cataracts in southern Africa.

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