To keep your eyes healthy, you should know which vitamins are good for your eyes. Here are some of the best vitamins you can take to help you keep your eyesight.
As we age, our chances of developing eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or cataracts increase. People also experience itchy and dry eyes.
If you don't consume enough vitamins and minerals, the nerves and tiny blood vessels in your eyes can become damaged, causing poor eyesight and the eye diseases that I just mentioned. Fortunately, there are specific vitamins that you can consume to help improve the health of your eyes to repair and protect them, as well as keep them well lubricated to keep them sharp.
Just a friendly reminder that this article is for educational purposes only, so do speak to your doctor if you have any medical conditions.
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The first item on my list is retinol. Retinol is the active form of vitamin A found in egg yolks, butter, cheese, liver oil, and organ meats. This is an essential nutrient for eye health as it helps the glands in your eyes make tears to keep them lubricated and protected from external damage. It lets you see well at night, preventing night blindness and irritation from bright lights while driving. Taking this regularly can cure dryness, bloodshot eyes, and anger, which usually feels like a gritty feeling in the corner of your eye. For example, taking one teaspoon of raw virgin cod liver oil daily is the best way to nourish your eyes with active vitamins.
Lutein is one of the essential plant chemicals that helps your retina capture light and color and send these signals to your brain to see clear pictures of what you're looking at.
On the other hand, zeaxanthin helps to prevent macular degeneration, central vision loss, and cataracts that may develop with age. Your body uses this to build a light filter in the back of your eye that protects the tissues in your eye from UV damage. You can get both of these carotenoids in high amounts by eating vegetables like kale, collard greens, and spinach.
If you wish to take a supplement, I recommend mixing one to two teaspoons of moringa powder daily in a glass of water. This powder is made from the dried leaves of Moringa oil, one of the richest sources of carotenoids to protect your eyes as you age. Romaine lettuce, swiss chard, pepper squash, and broccoli are also rich in egg yolks.
Zinc aids in activating vitamin A, allowing you to see clearly, especially at night. This antioxidant mineral is used to help build visual pigments in your retina so that you can see clear images in color. Whenever you sustain an injury or have an illness or inflammation, your body uses up its zinc stores to try to heal you.
The problem is that as we age, we tend to suffer from many ailments that deplete our zinc stores, making our eyes worse. A zinc deficiency also raises the risk of macular degeneration and developing cataracts, where the lenses of your eye become cloudy. To lower these risks, you can load up on zinc by eating oysters, crab meat, mussels, shrimp, and pumpkin seeds. Alternatively, you can take a supplement containing 30 milligrams of zinc chelate daily.
Vitamin B1 is in a form called benfotiamine. Whenever you eat sugar or refined flour, your blood sugar goes up, and this depletes your vitamin B1 stores.
The problem is that without enough B1 in your body, the protective coating surrounding your nerves, called myelin, can become damaged, as your eyes and the optic nerve contain up to 1.7 million nerve fibers. These can quickly become damaged by eating junk foods and high blood sugar.
This causes a common disease called retinopathy, which is very common as we age, especially for those with diabetes or pre-diabetes. To repair the nerves in your eyes and prevent further damage, you can take benfotiamine, a fat-soluble vitamin b1, at a dosage of 300 milligrams twice daily. Benfotiamine penetrates through the fat layers of your brain and nervous system and nourishes the nerves so they may heal.
These vitamins are also very effective at protecting and restoring the damaged tissues and nerves in your eyes. B3 (niacin) has been shown to help prevent glaucoma, a common eye condition in which pressure and fluid build up, while B2 (riboflavin) can lower the risk of developing cataracts macular degeneration.
The best way to get these B vitamins is by consuming at least one to two teaspoons of nutritional yeast daily, one of the best natural sources. You can also get more b vitamins by eating salmon, leafy green vegetables, and eggs.
Bile, for example, is a vital liquid produced by your liver and released by your gallbladder when you eat that aids your stomach in breaking down and digesting fatty foods as well as absorbing fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamin lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which are required for healthy eyes. However, if you have fatty liver, gallbladder problems, acid reflux, indigestion, IBS, or other digestive disorders, you may not be releasing enough omega-3 fatty acids. When it comes to healing your nerves and brain, you must load up on foods rich in EPA and DHA.
Omega-3s are very anti-inflammatory and will reduce inflammation in the eyes. These anti-inflammatory omega-3s protect and heal the nerves and blood vessels in your eyes, protecting them from oxidative damage. Studies show that taking regular fish oil daily for three months rapidly reduces dry eye symptoms as it helps the glands make more tear fluid. You can get this into your diet by eating fatty fish like wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, and mackerel. However, the richest natural source is virgin cod liver oil, at a dosage of around one teaspoon per day.
Vitamins help to protect your eyes from oxidative damage caused by high blood sugar and other harmful chemicals in our environment. Last but not least is the antioxidant called vitamin C. Vitamin C is a complex antioxidant that you need to consume daily to have a youthful and healthy body. Some of the richest sources of vitamin C come from raw fruits and vegetables like bell peppers: Kale or leafy greens, berries, cabbage, and sauerkraut.
Studies show that it majorly reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration and the loss of visual acuity. For example, if you're a smoker, you need to consume at least four times the daily requirements for vitamin C to help protect your body against oxidative damage.
Please note that I recommend avoiding over-the-counter ascorbic acid supplements as these are not a valid form of vitamin C if you wish to take a supplement. As you can see, various powerful nutrients and vitamins can help heal and protect your eyes from degeneration and dryness.
Many people have vision loss and other diseases. Some of these nutrients are already in foods that you regularly consume. Different ways to care for your eyes Let's look at a few more lifestyle tips you can use to keep your eyes healthy in the long run. Use a blue light filter application on your phone, PC, and tablet. Modern screens contain LEDs that emit blue light harmful to your retina.
Blue light is a very short, high-energy wave that can cause photochemical damage that irritates your eyes. Blue light filter apps help avoid this, or you can use blue light-blocking glasses. At least once per day, take a walk outside in nature, staring far into the distance whenever you can, such as at the sky or other distant objects. This technique helps to relax the small muscles in your eyes.
Inflammation and prevention of the lenses from changing shape over time. You should drink at least one liter of mineral water daily to stay hydrated. This simple trick helps you to make more healthy tears that coat the surface of your eyes to protect them from harsh environments.
As we age, our chances of developing eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or cataracts increase. Fortunately, there are specific vitamins that you can consume to help improve the health of your eyes. These vitamins include retinol, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Zinc is used to build pigments in your retina to see clear images in color. A zinc deficiency raises the risk of macular degeneration and developing cataracts.
Benfotiamine penetrates through the fat layers of your brain and nervous system and nourishes the nerves. If you have fatty liver, gallbladder problems, acid reflux, indigestion, IBS, or other digestive disorders, you may not be releasing enough omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are very anti-inflammatory and will reduce inflammation in the eyes.
