Go under the knife to SAVE your precious memories? Not so fast!

There are A LOT of crazy headlines out there these days…

But one that really caught my eye was about dementia… and how you could lower your risk by getting cataract surgery.

To me, that sounds like a sales pitch for an eye surgeon!

Now, cataract surgery CAN be a lifechanging procedure for folks whose vision is so far gone… they’re left with NO other choice if they want to see clearly.

And there IS something to this story… at least in terms of how vision is linked to cognition.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should RUSH to go under the knife just yet.

Here’s why.

At the end of last year, study showed that older folks who’d had cataract surgery had, on average, a 30% lower risk of dementia… and for 10 years following the procedure.

As the lead author of the study told MedpageToday, the key may be in “enabling higher quality sensory input to the retina”… and that improved vision may allow patients to “engage with the world more fully.”

In fact, dementia appears to be linked to overall sensory dysfunction.

Hearing loss is a known risk factor for dementia… and researchers are currently looking into whether wearing hearing aids could help STAVE OFF cognitive decline.

That’s not all…

Because dementia has also been associated with a loss of smell. Scientists are even looking into developing a test to literally SNIFF OUT Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

And if you’ve got a dementia patient in your life, you may have noticed how their experience of taste has changed… and how they might crave stronger, richer flavors.

But back to the topic at hand: vision.

You can imagine how DISORIENTING it is to not be able to see properly. How can you THINK clearly… if your VISION isn’t clear?

And that holds true not JUST for cataracts, but anything that CLOUDS… BLURS… or DARKENS your eyesight!

To me, it’s a little misleading to try to “sell” folks on cataract surgery with the hope that it’ll help save their precious memories!

Besides, there’s ALSO an association between dementia and age-related macular degeneration… diabetic retinopathy… and glaucoma.

The good news is that SEVERAL vision-boosting therapies also happen to IMPROVE cognitive function…

Including non-invasive ones, like certain nutrients you can supplement with.

Examples include…

• lutein and zeaxanthin (ideally taken together)
• ginkgo biloba
• bilberry
• blackcurrant
• taurine
• citicoline

I think the real lesson here is two-fold.

If your eyes are in good shape now… it’s best to KEEP them that way.

And if your vision has already begun to DECLINE, do something about it NOW… before the impairment spreads to OTHER parts of your brain!