Top 5 Best Foods for Good Eye Health

Did you know there are simple ways in which you can help maintain healthy eyes and vision? Booking an annual eye health exam is of course one way to ensure it, but there are other everyday actions you can take. For example, making sure you have a balanced and nutritious diet can go a long way.

When we think about eye health in relation to our diet, carrots are likely to pop into our minds, but it is very possible we don’t know the exact reason why. We simply tend to associate them with good vision based on common knowledge. The reason carrots are good for our vision is that they are full of vitamin A, which is one important nutrient for the eyes.

Eating a balanced and healthy diet can help you maintain overall health, but there are some particular foods with specific nutrients that are especially important for your eye health. Dry eyes, glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related symptoms are some eye conditions that can be averted with a proper diet targeted at improving eye health. Let’s see which food items you should be prioritizing to make sure your vision stays as healthy as possible!

1. Sweet Potato

Just like carrots, sweet potatoes are a source of vitamin A, which is considered a key nutrient in eye health: it helps in the maintenance of the cornea, which is an important part of the eye. It is also a constituent of rhodopsin, a protein found in the eye’s retina that helps you see in low-light conditions, which means it helps us see in the dark.¹

2. Eggs

Eggs are a rich source of protein, but they don’t just end there. They also make great food for eye nutrition. Egg yolks contain vitamin A, zinc, zeaxanthin, and lutein. The last two nutrients reduce the risk of developing eye conditions like cataracts². While vitamin A protects the cornea at the surface of the eye, zinc assists in maintaining the retina which is the back of the eye³. Implementing eggs into meals makes a good start toward maintaining good eye health. Just one hard-boiled egg gives your eyes four different nutrients to keep them healthy.

3. Oily fish

When referring to oily fish we mean the fish with oil in their gut and body tissue. These types of fish include salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines. Consuming oily fish provides you with a higher level of omega-3 fatty acid also known as fish oil. This omega-3 fatty acid present in fish is healthy for the retina and prevents dry eye, and even age-related macular degeneration.⁴

4. Oranges

Oranges, like other citrus fruits, are a good source of vitamin C. This component is important for eye health as it maintains healthy blood vessels in your eyes. Vitamin C can fight off cataracts and it is a nutrient recommended by the AOA (American Optometric Association) to combat age-related eye conditions such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration⁵.

5. Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds contain vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it protects healthy tissues from unstable electrons that can cause damage. 15 mg of vitamin E is recommended for adults in a day and one ounce of almonds provides about half of this amount⁶. Vitamin E can protect the eyes against age-related macular degeneration as well as cataracts, and some studies have found a higher lens clarity among older adults who had incorporated vitamin E in their diets.

The benefits of having a healthy diet have been widely studied, but how many times have we heard about the impact it can have on our vision’s health? We hope this list gives you a new perspective on the multiple benefits we can all get from making sure we are consuming nutritious food and encouraging you to add more vitamins and nutrients into your everyday life. Of course, the best complement to a healthy diet is a regular visit with your Optometrist. You can book a consultation with us if you would like to double-check the health of your eyes or simply have a routine checkup to make sure you are doing everything you can to keep your vision as healthy as possible.

References

1. 2022, Vitamin A: What Does It Do & Why It Helps Your Eyes, MyVision.org
2. Lutein – Can lutein reduce the risk of cataracts?, SpaMedicaUK,
3. 2013, Zinc and the Eye, B H Grahn 1, P G Paterson, K T Gottschall-Pass, Z Zhang, National Library of Medicine:
4. 2020, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Eye Health: Opinions and Self-Reported Practice Behaviors of Optometrists in Australia and New Zealand, National Library of Medicine.
5. Diet and Nutrition, American Optometric Association,
6. 2021, National Institute of Health, Vitamine E,