Vitamins for eyesight: take care of your eye health

What to eat for eye health?

The first thing we want to make clear is that here we are going to recommend certain foods that are beneficial for our visual health, but they do not work miracles, that is, they do not cure astigmatism or cataracts. What we are going to explain is how to help prolong the good condition of our eyes by ingesting specific vitamins that are good for our eyesight and always keeping in mind that our great ally will be a good pair of sunglasses.

These beneficial vitamins for eyesight are vitamin A, found in dairy products, carrots or blueberries; vitamin B, from meat or green leafy vegetables; vitamin C, found in citrus fruits; vitamin D, easy to find in cold water fish; vitamin E, from olive oil or almonds.

It is also important to consume foods rich in omega-3, zinc and selenium. We will now look at all these nutrients in detail.

Vitamin pills or nutritious food?

To prevent eye diseases, it is best to have a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, cereals, fish and meats that provide the vitamins and nutrients that our body needs, although these last two foods do not need to be taken in large quantities.

Whether it is due to your own metabolism, a medical condition or the decision to be vegetarian or vegan, it is possible that in certain cases you may need a food supplement. For example, those who suffer from osteoporosis may need calcium or vitamin D supplements or some vegans may take vitamin B12.

Our recommendation is to have a nutritious and balanced diet. Since, under normal conditions, you will not need to take any vitamin pills.

The best vitamins for eye health

Below, we explain which vitamins are related to eye health and where we can find them so that we can take these foods into account when preparing our meals.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-3 type

These polyunsaturated fats are essential for the body, as they need them for cell growth and brain function, and they help prevent dry eyes and degenerative eye diseases such as retinopathy. Since the body does not produce these essential fatty acids, we must obtain them from food.

You can find omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish such as mackerel or sardines, flax seeds and nuts such as walnuts.

Vitamin A and carotenoids

Vitamin A belongs to the carotenoid family, nutrients that are important as antioxidants and protect cells from unstable molecules.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids found in the retina and lens of the eye, also belong to this family. This is why it is important to eat foods rich in these nutrients, as numerous studies link a lack of vitamin A to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.

Fortunately, you will find vitamin A in many foods: milk, cheese, carrots, broccoli, spinach, pumpkin and eggs. Remember that the more intense the color of the fruit and vegetable, the more vitamins it will have. We also recommend eating these products uncooked (whenever possible).

Vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid and vitamin B12

All these vitamins are important for humans because of their antioxidant action.

Vitamin C helps to reduce the risk of degenerative diseases or glaucoma and to prevent corneal ulcers. Fruits and vegetables in general and citrus fruits in particular are important sources of vitamin C.

In the case of vitamin E, it is important to eat foods that contain it because it helps fight oxidative stress that can cause cataracts or advanced macular degeneration. It also prevents blurred vision and strengthens eye muscles. These are some foods rich in vitamin E: seeds, almonds, soybeans, olive oil.

Folic acid and vitamin B12 also have antioxidant properties, and you can find the former in spinach and legumes and the latter in dairy products.

Minerals

Minerals such as zinc are also very important for our organism due to their antioxidant action. Zinc helps to absorb vitamin A, preventing night blindness and degenerative eye diseases. Red meat and dark chocolate are two good sources of zinc.

Another mineral to consider is selenium. In this case it helps to absorb vitamin E. You will find it in seafood, tuna, cod or nuts.

Other components

Two components that you should also incorporate into your diet if you do not already do so are foods that include taurine and resveratrol.

Taurine is an amino acid generated by our body and found in abundance in our retina, so it is important to maintain good levels to help prevent oxidative stress or visual fatigue. It can be found in mollusks, chicken or pork meat.

Resveratrol is a component that prevents the appearance of neovessels in people with diabetic retinopathy. Grapes are an excellent source of resveratrol.

Can these eye vitamins help prevent eye disease?

All the vitamins, nutrients and other components that we have seen in the previous section are very good for our organism in general because they are good antioxidants and anti-inflammatory.

It is especially important for patients with AMD to have a diet rich in antioxidants to reduce the risk of progression of this disease or the appearance of other retinal conditions.

Of course, it is impossible to be 100% sure that your visual health will not suffer, especially with age. But we must do everything we can to prolong good visual health and diet has a direct influence on it.

Vitamins for dry eye

Earlier we talked about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, including the direct relationship they have with the quality of tears. Therefore, if you suffer from dry eyes, we recommend increasing your intake of foods rich in omega-3.

Vitamins for diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy, better known as ocular diabetes, is a vascular disease caused by metabolic alterations in patients with diabetes that can lead to blindness.

The best treatment is early detection and, of course, prevention. In these cases, control of blood glucose, hypertension and a healthy diet rich in omega-3, lutein, zeaxanthin and zinc are of vital importance.

What vitamins are good for blurred vision?

Another eye condition that we can prevent is blurred vision, since it has been proven that a diet rich in vitamin E helps to improve it. Remember some of the foods rich in this vitamin: seeds, vegetable oils or nuts.

Other vitamins that are also good for blurred vision are vitamin B, C, D and B1.

Complement your visual health with sunglasses from Vytria

There is no better vitamin than protecting our sunglasses all year round with a good pair of sunglasses and there is no better place to buy sunglasses online than Vytria Eyewear. Here you have the link to all our brands of sunglasses for you to choose the one you like.