Looks like there may be yet another reason to kick sugar and white flour out of your diet: eye health.

Cutting back on processed carbs could lower your risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in people 60 and older.

The Carb Connection
What makes refined carbs so bad for your peepers? Seems their high glycemic index may be partly to blame. High-glycemic-index foods boost a whole bunch of bad things linked to AMD -- like increases in oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood-fat levels. (Get a simple breakdown on what high or low glycemic index means.)

See the Future
Along with replacing the "bad" carbs in your diet with high-fiber whole grains, try these other sight-saving steps:

• Make sure your diet includes these four super eye nutrients.
• Figure out if changes in your vision are normal. (This article can tell you what's normal when your eyes age -- and what's not.)
• See if it's time for a checkup. Answer the questions in this Disease Prevention Checklist.

Check out these five ways to cut down on dry eyes.