One of the most ignored high-risk factors for eye disorders is exposure to mercury.

Ironically, in the recent past many eyedrop medications actually contained a mercury preservative called thimerosal, which is absorbed into the eye and enters the lens.

Thimerosal is also found in vaccines, most commonly the flu vaccine.

An analysis by the Natural News Forensic Food Lab found that a flu vaccine contained 51 parts per million of mercury. That dose is about 21,000 times higher than EPA safety limits for mercury in water and 100 times higher than the highest level found in tests of contaminated fish.

Worse yet, vaccine-based mercury is absorbed 100 percent, while absorption from water is dramatically less.

This means that the concentration of mercury delivered to the lens by eyedrops is infinitely higher.

Several types of seafood — especially swordfish, tilefish, grouper, and tuna — also contain high levels of mercury.

People living within several hundred miles of a coal burning facility are also at risk.

Mercury binds with protein disulfide groups within the eye’s lens, causing it to become cloudy and stiff.

In addition, mercury triggers massive free radical generation throughout the lens and retina.

Wearing contact lenses and glasses that did not have UV protection, as was common in the past, greatly increased people’s risk of developing a cataract, because the lens of the glasses concentrated the UV sunlight.

Fortunately, virtually all prescription glasses and contact lenses now have total UV protection.

However, many nonprescription reading glasses still do not have UV protection and reading outdoors or near a window can worsen UV damage to your eyes.