Nutrition for Your Eyes - What Really Works

Proper nutrition is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. However, have you ever wondered how your diet affects your eyesight? Anyone who has had some sort of eye disorder would have certainly thought about this.

It is often heard that "carrots are good for your eyesight". But why? And what other foods contribute to a healthy eyesight? There is some literature which indicates that there are nutrients which improve visual clarity and other which reduce the likelihood of eye diseases including glaucoma, cataracts and Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Antioxidants on a whole generally protect the parts of the eye including the lens, retina and positively affect your vision. Antioxidants are substances that are capable of counteracting the damaging, but normal, effects of the physiological process of oxidation in animal tissue. Antioxidants are nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions). They are believed to play a role in preventing the development of such chronic diseases as cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, and cataracts. (Source - HowStuffWorks.com)

Vitamin A

Carrots contain a carotenoid called beta-carotene. Your body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is an anti-oxidant. Antioxidants such as vitamin A are essential to eye health. Vitamin A is known to:
* help your eyes adjust to light changes
* Moisten the eyes, which can enhance visual acuity
* Prevent the forming of cataracts
* help prevent blindness from AMD

Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Both of these vitamins assists in the long term health of the your eyes.

Lutein

Lutein is found in foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, corn and pumpkins. Studies have shown that lutein may reduce the risk of AMD as well as it may play a role in helping reduce the risk of cataract extraction.

Macular degeneration is a condition that may begin to develop as we age. Macular degeneration is a leading cause of irreversible blindness individuals over 65 years of age. It occurs when the cells in the macula degrade, causing loss of sight in the central part of the field of vision, but leaving peripheral vision intact.