As children, we often hear that eating carrots will help us see in the dark. While many childhood tales are just myths, there may actually be some truth to this old saying.
Read on as our experts explore the best foods for eye health. As we age, it’s important to adapt our lifestyle to provide the best conditions to protect our eyes against age-related damage. A large part of this could be through optimising our diet, but what are the top 10 foods to eat for your eye health?
So let’s get on and discover the top 10 foods to eat for eye health.
Can You Reverse Poor Vision?
It’s true that food and eye health are related – but while a good diet and healthy lifestyle can help protect your vision, poor vision cannot be reversed. People often ask if there are foods to improve eyesight without glasses – but in truth, diet is a preventative measure when it comes to good eye health.
Refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, are primarily caused by genetic and environmental factors rather than diet. Studies have shown that certain dietary habits may exacerbate myopia, especially in children, but the relationship is complex and not fully understood.
Diet, Diabetes & Eye Health
Diet, diabetes, and eye health are closely related. Poor dietary choices, like foods high in saturated fats and sugars, can worsen blood sugar control and contribute to obesity, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Chronically elevated blood sugar levels in diabetes damage the blood vessels in the eyes, leading to diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma, all of which can impair vision or cause blindness in extreme cases.
Persistent hyperglycemia can lead to the accumulation of sorbitol within the lens cells of the eye, altering lens proteins and contributing to cataract formation in patients with poorly controlled or longstanding diabetes.
A balanced diet that includes lean proteins, plenty of fruit and vegetables (rich in antioxidants) works to balance blood sugar levels and help with overall eye health.
The Top 10 Foods That Can Improve Your Eye Health
A balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and essential fats including oily fish, may help reduce the risk of suffering from unwanted eye conditions.
The main nutrients that studies show help to keep eyes healthy are omega-3, vitamins A and C, antioxidants and catechins. Your diet style can have a big impact on your future eye health – studies have shown that those who follow a Mediterranean-style diet that includes oily fish – which are a good source of omega-3 – have a reduced risk of developing macular degeneration, a progressive condition that results in deterioration of vision.
1) Leafy Green Vegetables
Vegetables such as spinach and kale are some of the best natural sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are two of the most important carotenoids for maintaining ocular health.
Carotenoids, (most notably lutein and zeaxanthin) found in leafy green vegetables, are vital for eye health. They build up in the macula (the centre part of the retina), enhancing pigment density, acting as a natural filter, and protecting the eyes by absorbing harmful blue and ultraviolet light that can cause oxidative damage. Overall, carotenoids help maintain visual sharpness and can lower the risk of age-related eye conditions like macular degeneration.
2) Fish
Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which assist eye health. Omega-3s support the structure of cell membranes in the retina and reduce inflammation. The overall effect is in lowering the risk of dry eye syndrome and age-related macular degeneration.
3) Avocado
Avocados are excellent for eye health – they contain lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that protect the eyes by filtering harmful blue light and reducing oxidative damage.
They also contain vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects against age-related eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts. Additionally, their healthy fats enhance the absorption of these fat-soluble nutrients, optimising their protective benefits for the eyes.
4) Eggs
Eggs are a great source of antioxidants and vitamin A which is extremely beneficial in maintaining the health of the ocular surface as well as the retina. Eggs contain vitamins like A, D, E, and B12, many of which are found in the yolk. Vitamin A is known to help with ocular dryness. vitamin D helps calcium absorption for overall health, including eye function. The yolk also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that protect eyes from damaging blue light, while reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration.
5) Carrots
Rich in vitamin A and containingbeta carotene which helps your eyes absorb vitamin A, carrots are essential in maintaining good eye health. An extreme lack of vitamin A can lead to severe sight loss. If you’re not a fan of eating carrots, drinking carrot juice or vitamin supplements are an ideal way of boosting immunity as well as eye health.
6) Green Tea
Green tea contains catechins which are filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These properties can help to reduce the risk of infection to the eyes. Green tea also has the ingredients to protect eyes from Glaucoma and dry eye.
For good eye health, drinking 2–3 cups of green tea per day is enough – this gives the drinker a healthy dose of antioxidants like catechins without too much caffeine.
7) Nuts
Vitamin E is abundant in nuts and helps to retain healthy tissue in the eyes. The top nuts containing vitamin E are almonds, hazelnuts and peanuts. Nuts are easy to work into your daily diet, by adding them as extras in your oats, cereal and salads.
8) Sunflower Seeds
Vitamin E is also present in seeds and as well as helping to retain healthy tissue, this can reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts which both typically occur later in life.
9) Oranges
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes, contain vitamin C – a powerful antioxidant that helps in maintaining the health of blood vessels in the eye. Vitamin C helps protect against oxidative stress and helps produce collagen, which supports the structural integrity of the cornea and sclera.
Eating citrus fruits like oranges regularly helps prevent eye conditions like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by neutralising free radicals that can damage eye tissues over time.
10) Legumes
Legumes include foods like lentils, chickpeas, beans, and peas. They support eye health as they are rich in zinc, bioflavonoids, and other essential nutrients. Zinc transports vitamin A from the liver to the retina, aiding in the production of melanin, which protects the eyes. The antioxidants and fibre in legumes lower oxidative stress and inflammation – both of which are linked to age-related eye conditions (especially macular degeneration and cataracts).
You should enjoy these foods as part of a healthy, balanced diet to boost your eye health and help prevent infections.
Additional Ways to Keep Your Eyes Healthy
Diet is one lifestyle factor that can keep eyes healthy, but there are more:
- Avoid Smoking: This can accelerate the onset of cataracts, macular degeneration, and optic nerve damage.
- Wear Sunglasses: Sunglasses protect eyes from harmful UV rays (be sure they have 100% UVA and UVB protection), so reducing the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
- Drink Plenty of Water: Proper hydration helps with tear production and can protect against dry eye syndrome.
- Exercise Frequently: It improves circulation, helping to maintain healthy blood vessels in the eyes.
- Limit Screen Time: Staring at digital devices nonstop can lead to eye strain and other eye conditions over time.
