I can’t even tell you how often I am asked if there are foods we should be eating for healthier eyes. So let’s go through the 5 foods I would eat for healthy eyes.
SPINACH
Spinach and other leafy greens have lutein and zeaxanthine, two carotenoids found naturally in the retina and the lens. These carotenoids are known to absorb damaging blue and UV light, and in a large clinical trial called AREDS2, has been shown to slow down the progression of macular degeneration in some patients. So follow Pop-eye’s lead and gulp down that spinach.
ORANGES
Oranges have Vitamin C, which is a very powerful antioxidant that has been found to help with collagen production in the eye. This is helpful with cornea healing as well, and as a cornea specialist I routinely advise my patients to start Vitamin C supplements when they are diagnosed with a bad cornea ulcer or ocular surface condition.
ALMONDS
Almonds and other nuts high in Vitamin E. Vitamin E is another important antioxidant that has been shown in clinical trials to slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration, which is one of the leading causes of blindness in people over the age of 70 years.
SALMON
This next one might be a little controversial, but I would still include salmon as a food that is good for the eyes. Salmon contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which has previously been shown to help with certain types of dry eye. The controversy stems from a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine called the DREAM study which looked at omega-3 fatty acids and compared it to olive oil placebo and found that there was no benefit over placebo. However, anecdotally a lot of patients seem to find omega-3 fatty acid supplementation useful for their dry eye and at worst, omega-3 fatty acids are thought to help with heart and brain health.
CARROTS
There is something to be said about how carrots are good for your eyes. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, which is required by your eyes to maintain function. Specifically, your retina, the vascular wallpaper in the back of the eye, depends on Vitamin A as it is required by the retina to detect light and converts it into electrical signals that then go to the brain for processing. Will eating carrots improve your vision on their own? No. But Vitamin A will prevent you from xerotphthalmia, a condition caused by vitamin A deficiency that can lead to night blindness and dry out your tear glands.
There you go! 5 foods that you can eat that will help, or at least make you feel better about your eye health. If you like this type of content, feel free to check out my new YouTube channel, where I post a new video about eye health, disease, and surgery every Saturday.