Orange capsicums help combat blindness but you won’t find them easily in shops

Introducing orange capsicums to the menu would address deficiencies of a chemical compound which helps prevent Australia’s leading cause of blindness — but hardly any Australian farmers are growing them.

Research by the University of Queensland (UQ) has found orange capsicums are by far the richest source of the orange pigment zeaxanthin, a carotenoid which accumulates in the back of the eyes to protect against blue light and, therefore, macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration is responsible for half of all cases of blindness in Australia, affecting one in seven people aged over 50 and one in three over 80.

Project leader Tim O’Hare, from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, said…