The 4 best vitamins to improve eye health and vision

• The best vitamins for eye health are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and B vitamins.
• Vitamin C can help protect against cataracts and slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• A lack of vitamin A can damage the cornea and retina, which can affect your eyesight.
• This article was medically checked by Benjamin Bert, MD, Augenarzt am MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Kalifornien.
• Please refer to Insider’s Insider Reference Library for more information.

Your eyes need a critical balance of vitamins to keep your eyesight at its best, especially as you get older. If you don’t get enough of some vitamins like A and B12, you are more likely to develop eye diseases that can lead to vision loss and even blindness.

In many cases, a balanced diet high in fruits and vegetables is enough to keep your eyes healthy. However, if you have certain serious eye diseases, you may need to add vitamin supplements as well.

Here are 4 of the most important vitamins you need to keep your eyesight sharp.

1. Vitamin A.

“We’ve all heard that carrots are good for the eyes. This is partly because they are high in vitamin A, ”says Dr. Sunir J. Garg, ophthalmologist and professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University.

Vitamin A is important for both the front of the eye, called the cornea, and the back of the eye, called the retina, says Garg. If you lack vitamin A in your diet, it can damage the cornea and retina and affect your eyesight.

This is because vitamin A produces the pigments that allow your retina to work properly. If you don’t have enough vitamin A, you may have trouble seeing in low light.

“Fortunately, this type of vision loss can often be improved once vitamin A levels are back to normal,” says Garg. This means you probably won’t need a huge vitamin A boost as long as you’re getting the recommended daily value between 0.7 mg and 0.9 mg.

Here are some foods that are high in vitamin A:

2. B-Vitamins

B vitamins – like B6, B12, and folic acid – can help improve eye health by preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is where your retina deteriorates over time and causes blurred vision. This is because B vitamins lower your blood homocysteine ​​levels, an acid that can affect the arteries of your retina and is an independent risk factor for AMD.

A large study from 2009 found that women with a vitamin B12 deficiency were twice as likely to have AMD as women with normal B12 levels. In addition, women who took 50 mg B6, 1 mg B12, and 2.5 mg folic acid supplements for two years were 35% to 40% less likely to develop AMD.

A deficiency in B vitamins can also cause problems with the optic nerve, the tissue responsible for taking pictures from the eye to the brain. If the deficiency is severe, visual disturbances or blind spots can occur.

How to Get More Vitamin B6, a Critical B Vitamin:

3. Vitamin C.

Cataracts, the cloudy areas that develop on the lens of the eye, are one of the most common reasons your eyesight can deteriorate as you age.

“Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants. Therefore, they are associated with a lower risk of developing cataracts, ”says Garg.

Antioxidants protect against free radicals that can alter the lens of your eye and cause it to look cloudy and disturb your vision.

Several studies have shown that taking at least 140 mg of vitamin C per day (for reference, the recommended level is 60 to 90 mg per day) can help prevent cataracts from developing. But be careful not to get too much, as a very large 2013 study found that over 500 mg of vitamin C may actually increase the risk of cataracts for certain groups, like men who smoke or are overweight.

Studies also show that vitamin C can also slow the progression of AMD by strengthening the blood vessels in your eye that support the retina. A large study from 2016 found that people with higher vitamin C intake had significantly less AMD.

Some good sources of vitamin C are:

4. Vitamin E.

Vitamin E also acts as an antioxidant in your body, and studies show that it can protect you from vision loss as you age.

More research is needed, but some studies suggest that eating a diet high in vitamin E or taking vitamin E supplements for long periods of time may help prevent cataracts and AMD.

A large study from 2005 found that people who took vitamin E supplements were less likely to develop cloudy lenses over the course of 5 years. However, a large 2001 study found that taking 400 IU of the vitamin supplement daily had no effect on clouding the eyes.

Studies also show that the antioxidants in vitamin E can slow cataract progression, and experts recommend consuming at least 100 IU for any benefit.

Some foods that are high in vitamin E include:

Takeaways

Getting enough of these important vitamins in your diet can go a long way in strengthening and protecting your eyesight. In most cases, unless you are vitamin deficient, you probably don’t need to take extra supplements.

„“For most people, the amount of these vitamins we get from a balanced diet is plentiful, “says Garg.

However, if you have a serious condition like AMD, your doctor may recommend the use of nutritional supplements. “There are high-dose vitamins for macular degeneration that are widely used,” says Garg.

However, since taking high doses of dietary supplements can cause health problems in some cases, „“People shouldn’t take these high-dose vitamins unless they discuss it with their eye doctor, “says Garg.