Eating a healthy, balanced diet benefits every part of your body, including your eyes. Research suggests that consuming certain nutrients can help reduce your risk of sight-stealing eye conditions and help you retain clear vision as you get older.
Take a moment to learn from the team at InVision Eye Care about the best foods for eye health.
Vitamin A is crucial for retinal health and for keeping the eyes moist to prevent dry eye symptoms. The most well-known source of vitamin A is carrots. Vitamin A can also be found in other orange-colored vegetables and fruits, including sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots and mangos.
Citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and lemons offer vitamin C, which helps promote healthy blood vessels in the eye. Consuming foods with lots of vitamin C can help fight the development of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Almonds, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds contain vitamin E, which is believed to slow the progression of AMD and may also help reduce the risk of cataracts. Avocados are another good source of vitamin E.
Leafy greens like kale, spinach and collard greens are an excellent way to get vitamins C and E in your diet. They also contain lutein and zeaxanthin — two antioxidants that help make up the protective layer of the macula called the macular pigment. The macular pigment helps shield the macula from damage from excess blue and ultraviolet light. The body does not make lutein or zeaxanthin; they must be consumed in foods. Another good source of lutein and zeaxanthin is red peppers.
Salmon and other fatty fish like tuna and trout are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of AMD. Omega-3 fatty acids also protect against symptoms of dry eye disease.
Kidney beans, lima beans and black-eyed peas are a fantastic source of zinc. This mineral helps bring vitamin A from the liver to the eyes, and it is found in the retina and the choroid (i.e., the vascular tissue underneath the retina). Getting lots of zinc from beans or from other sources like oysters, beef, pork and chicken may also help night vision.
For more information about eye-friendly foods and other preventative measures you can take to reduce your risk of eye disease and vision loss, InVision Eye Care is here for you. Call or email us today.
