Blog

Your diet provides many important nutrients that your body can’t produce on its own for optimal health. Just like the rest of your body, the health of your eyes in part depends on the content and quality of your diet.

Essential Nutrients For Eye Health

To reduce your risk of eye disease, it’s important to get specific nutrients in your diet. Whether you get these nutrients through foods or supplements, they’re crucial to your eyes’ ability to stay healthy.

Vitamin C helps lower your risk of cataracts and slow down macular degeneration and vision loss linked to an older age.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that prevents eye damage from free radicals.

Vitamin A is important to preserving the clarity of the cornea. The cornea is the outer covering of the eye and controls the light that enters the eye.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are phytochemicals that have been found to reduce the risk of age-related eye diseases, including cataracts and macular degeneration.

Zinc helps deliver vitamin A to the retina from the liver. This aids in the production of melanin, which is a pigment that the eyes need for protection.

Beta-carotene helps lower oxidative stress in the eyes and is converted into vitamin A in the body, which provides additional benefits for your eye health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats that support vision development and help maintain eye and retinal function.

Foods For Optimal Eye Health

Foods that you can include in your diet to support the health of your eyes include:

• Fish, which is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids
• Nuts, seeds, and legumes, which also contain omega-3 fatty acids, along with vitamin E
• Citrus fruits, which are high in vitamin C
• Eggs, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, and lutein
• Spinach, kale, and other leafy greens, which contain high levels of vitamin C, lutein, and zeaxanthin
• Beef, which is high in zinc

Along with eating well, schedule regular eye exams at The Eye Clinic of Florida to maintain the health of your eyes.