A Healthy Diet To Boost Your Vision: 6 Specific Foods That Benefit Your Eyes

Think About Your Eyes is a national public awareness campaign, presented by The Vision Council and the American Optometric Association, designed to educate the public on the benefits of vision health and promote the importance of getting an annual comprehensive eye exam.

According to the campaign, you can help keep your eyes healthier by eating foods that are rich in certain vitamins and nutrients. Colorful fruits and vegetables that are bursting with Vitamin A, C, D, E, beta-carotene and zinc will give your eyes a healthy boost. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish and flavonoids from tea, red wine and berries are great, too!

Good vision and healthy eyes start with what you eat. However, specific foods that benefit the eyes are not widely known. Think About Your Eyes shared with Latin Times a number of foods linked to eye health:

1. Nuts – The vitamin E found in almonds, peanuts, cashews and other nuts is found to protect the eye's cells from free radicals that can break down the eye's healthy tissue.
2. Oranges – Vitamin C is a major component that promotes healthy eyes because it keeps the blood vessels healthy and can lower the risk of developing cataracts.
3. Spinach – This eye vitamin superfood contains vitamin C, beta-carotene and two other nutrients that protect the eyes from harmful blue light, and can lessen the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.
4. Salmon – The DHA, or fatty acids, found in many types of fish can prevent dry eye syndrome.
5. Red meat – Zinc is a great vitamin for eye health because it delivers vitamin A to the retina from the liver, producing melanin that protects the eye's pigment. The lack of zinc can lead to problems in vision including cataracts and night vision issues.
6. Carrots – Carrots do contain the beneficial nutrient, vitamin A, but do not have an overall affect of improving vision.

Taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement can also help fill in the nutritional gaps in a less-than-optimal diet and may help protect you from degenerative diseases, including macular degeneration and cataracts. It’s important to always check with your eye doctor, before beginning to take any dietary supplement.

Making these foods a part of your daily diet will ensure you're getting sufficient nutrition for eye health. You can talk with your eye doctor about these tips and more during an annual comprehensive eye exam, which should be part of everyone’s annual health routine. Exams can even lead to early detection of other health concerns such as diabetes or heart conditions and your doctor will ensure you get the care you need.