Fact Check: Can drinking carrot and cucumber juice cure degenerative eye diseases?

Hyderabad: An AI-generated video showing a bot looking like a doctor, advising people to drink carrot and cucumber juice to improve eyesight or cure any degenerative eye diseases, has gone viral on social media

The voiceover in the viral AI video claims, “Today I will share with you a powerful natural recipe to restore vision that is easy to prepare at home. First, take a cucumber and cut it into pieces. Cucumber contains riboflavin, thiamine and vitamin B6 as well as the minerals calcium and magnesium. We will also need two carrots. Peel them and cut them into pieces. Carrots contain beta carotene which your body converts into Vitamin A, and Vitamin A is important for healthy vision.”

“We will also need fresh parsley. In addition to Vitamin A, parsley contains sufficient amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, plant pigments that prevent the development of macular degeneration and cataracts,” it adds.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false.

The video talks about two vision-related issues: age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

What is macular degeneration?

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease that affects a person’s central vision. AMD can result in severe loss of central vision, but people rarely go blind from it. Risk factors for AMD include being 50 and older, smoking, having high blood pressure and eating a diet high in saturated fat.”

It further adds, “Although there is no cure for AMD, there are treatment options that may prevent or slow the progression of the disease.”

What is a cataract?

According to the National Eye Institute, a cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye (the clear part of the eye that helps to focus light). Cataracts are very common as you get older.

A cataract doesn’t show any initial symptoms but over time it makes the vision blurry, hazy and colorless. It can also lead to vision loss. But you can easily get rid of cataracts with the help of surgery.

Can carrot and cucumber juice reverse cataracts or macular degeneration?

Cucumbers are high in water content. Putting a slice of cucumber over the eyes not only provides moisturization but also restores the elasticity of the skin naturally. However, no evidence drinking cucumber juice alone can counter cataracts and macular degeneration.

Healthline states, “The cooling effect of cucumber juice can also help give the skin a refreshed look and feel. Cucumbers are rich in Vitamin C and folic acid. Vitamin C can ‘wake skin up’ and stimulate new cell growth, while folic acid stimulates antioxidants that help your skin fight off environmental toxins that can make eyes appear puffy or tired.”

Carrots are crunchy and highly nutritious root vegetables. It’s been a long-standing concept that carrots are associated with eyesight and improvement of vision.

The story behind the myth is that during World War 2 when the British Royal Air Force pilots first began using radar to target and shoot down enemy planes, to keep the radar tech a secret, their perfect aim was attributed to eating carrots.

Gradually it became a generational propaganda that carrots are better for night vision and the myth is believed till today.

Although, a carrot is no magic vegetable that reverses or cures eye diseases and vision. However, they do contain certain compounds that are good for the eyes.

Carrots are source of beta carotene and lutein which are antioxidants that can help prevent eye damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are compounds that can lead to damage or disease.

Interestingly, yellow carrots contain high lutein compounds which may help prevent age-related macular degeneration, it should be noted that carrot juice is no alternative treatment for AMD.

It should be noted that both carrots and cucumbers have multiple compounds that benefit eye health, improve vision and prevent several eye diseases. However, there is no scientific evidence to prove that drinking juices the vegetables can play a significant role in curing cataracts or macular degeneration.