Well, can it? “Last week, a study published in the New Scientist found that the consumption of monosodium glutamate (MSG), the flavour enhancer best known for its use in Chinese cooking, could damage your eyesight.

Scientists at Hirosaki University in Japan fed rats high levels of MSG, and concluded that it was responsible for destroying retinal cells, which, in turn, delayed nerve signals. It might, they said, explain why people in eastern Asia have a high rate of normal tension glaucoma – an eye disease that leads to blindness.

It sounds plausible, until you take a closer look at the facts.” Telegraph UK