Eating certain kinds of fruit and veg can help guard against blindness, research has found.

Ongoing research has indicated that consumption of the carotenoids Lutein and Zeaxanthin, found in certain fruit and vegetables such as peaches, carrots and sweetcorn, helps guard against blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Studies show that the eye accumulates these two specific powerful antioxidants, fixing their yellow pigment in the retina where they help protect the eye from the harmful effect of ultra violet rays, which leads to AMD. Although AMD is relatively unheard of, the Eye-care Trust, a UK registered charity, and the USA's National Eye Institute, confirm that AMD is now the biggest cause of irreversible blindness or partial loss of sight in the UK and USA, affecting millions of people over the age of 50.