Waterford scientist Professor John Nolan is the subject of a new documentary, A Vision for Vision. His decades-long research into eye health has taken him around the world and uncovered the connection between the eye and the brain, and the impact of nutrition on both. Along the way, his work has led to a bigger question: What can our eyes tell us about how we age?

AROUND 25 YEARS ago, I started a PhD at Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, entitled “Determinants of Macular Pigment in Healthy Subjects”.

I don’t expect you to know what this title is about, but fast-forward until today, and I can tell you that it is important. Why? Because the study of macular pigment has shown us how what we learn about the eye can tell us important things about the brain.

Let’s start at the very beginning.

Your eyes: I like to describe the eye like a camera. The front of the eye has a lens (the same as in a camera), and the back of the eye has a specialised tissue called the retina (comparable to the film in a camera).

The middle part of the eye contains a jelly-like substance called the vitreous. This is also very important and can be compared to the space inside a camera between the lens and the film. The retina is where things get really interesting.

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At the very centre of the retina we have an area called the macula. This is tiny, just 4mm, but is responsible for our detailed central vision and plays a critical role in our colour vision.

Our goal is to keep this tissue healthy throughout our life and into old age. In other words, to keep the film of the camera working. But this is difficult. Why? Because the retina is extremely busy working to give us........

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