IF YOU want to protect your eyesight as you get older, watching your weight may be the best thing you can do.

Scientists at Harvard and Tufts universities in the US have found that too much body fat, particularly around the middle, may increase the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, the most common cause of irreversible blindness.

This is due to the higher incidence of diabetes, a known cause of cataracts, in overweight people, as well as the fact that extra body fat absorbs the vitamins that should be making their way to the eyes to keep them healthy.