The Proper Nutrients for Eye Health
We’ve heard it time and time again – you are what you eat. Eating healthy leads to good general health, gives you more energy, and prevents illness. It may not have crossed your mind, but eating healthy and getting in the right vitamins and nutrients can also contribute to optimal eye health. Maintaining strong vision takes some work on your part, but it is quite simple to incorporate into your daily life.
Vitamins, minerals, and necessary fats, in combination with a healthy diet, will protect your vision and improve your lifestyle. Here are the best nutrients that work to give you the best vision possible:
Vitamin A
Vitamin A leads to a high functioning retina. The retina is essential for meticulous vision, and preventing night blindness, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts. If you don’t take Vitamin A in pill form, you can find it in foods such an animal products, and orange, green, and yellow vegetables.
Vitamin C
The lenses in our eyes are actually full of vitamin C. Cloudy vision is caused by a clumping of protein the eye’s lens, and vitamin C can reduce this clumping to prevent cataracts. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, as well as sweet potatoes, potatoes, peppers, kale, and broccoli.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant, which is essential in reducing the risk of eye diseases that increase with age. The top sources of vitamin E include nuts, green leafy vegetables, and even cereal.
Lutein
Lutein is specifically found in the retina’s lens, and its function is to protect the eye’s central vision (the macula). You can find lutein in yellow and orange fruits, dark leafy greens, and egg yolk.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids function as an anti-inflammatory, which assists in disease prevention. You can find this nutrient in fish, especially salmon; ground flax seeds; and walnuts.
Selenium
Like Vitamin E, selenium also functions as an antioxidant. This reduces the progression of potential eye diseases and is found in common foods such as seafood, walnuts, breads, and rice.
Zeaxanthin
Zeaxanthin is similar to lutein, protecting the lens of the retina and reducing potential damage. Zeaxanthin is found commonly in yellow and orange fruits, and dark leafy greens.
Zinc
Zinc is similar to Vitamin A in that it protects the eye through its antioxidant absorption. Several foods containing zinc include oysters, cheese, yogurt, red meat, legumes, and whole grains.
This list of food and vitamins should give you a good start on how you can improve your vision through diet. Exercise is also important to improve your lifestyle and cardiovascular health. Knowing what foods to avoid can contribute to better vision, and making the right choices will make you feel energized. Common foods that will negatively impact your health include high amounts of sugar and salt, processed foods, trans fats, and a large amount of saturated fats.
At Dr. Ghosheh’s Advanced Eye Medical, we encourage our patients to engage in a healthy lifestyle and make good choices for themselves so they won’t have to worry about their vision and related issues in the long-term. We are experts in our field and have many tips on how you can maintain proper eye health. Get in touch with us – we are always here to help!