6 Best Nutrients for Eye Health

1. Vitamin A (and beta carotene)

Vitamin A is absolutely essential for vision, Johnson says. A deficiency can cause night blindness, particularly among older individuals, and if it progresses, permanent blindness can result. Beta carotene is thought to be important because it’s a precursor of vitamin A.

Luckily, deficiencies are rare in the United States, likely because many processed foods like breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamins. “It’s quite difficult to not get enough vitamin A in our diet,” says Andreoli.

Liver and dairy products such as milk are great natural sources of vitamin A. To get beta carotene (which gets converted into vitamin A in the body), look for any orange vegetable, such as carrots, winter squash or sweet potatoes.

Doctors prescribe vitamins for age-related macular degeneration.

JW LTD/Getty Images

2. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is also essential for eye health. “You find it in the eye, which adds biological plausibility for it being important,” Johnson says.

Like other antioxidants, vitamin E helps prevent damage from free radicals and eye disease. It’s one of the components — along with vitamin C, copper, zinc, lutein and zeaxanthin — of the high-dose antioxidant supplement called AREDS2 (developed from the Age-Related Eye Diseases [AREDS] studies), which Sheppard took to keep his AMD from getting worse.

There’s some evidence that high levels of vitamin E in the diet may protect against the formation of age-related vision-clouding cataracts — but the research shows no significant benefit from taking a supplement. So be sure to give plant-based oils, nuts, sunflower seeds and avocado a place on the menu.

3. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is another disease-fighting antioxidant that protects against AMD, and as with vitamin E, you probably don’t need to take a supplement to get benefits. You’ll get an added bonus if you’re also eating vitamin E-rich foods. “The two vitamins protect each other from being used up or oxidized,” Johnson says. “So you like to see a pairing of vitamins C and E.”

And there are other pluses. In a 2016 study looking at diet and the risk of cataract progression, researchers found a diet rich in foods with vitamins C could cut risk of cataract progression by a third. Citrus fruits are the classic choices for vitamin C, Andreoli says. But kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, kale and bell pepper also are abundant sources. Give the eye-healthy combo a try with a spinach and strawberry salad with an olive oil and vinegar dressing and sunflower seeds. The spinach and strawberries have vitamin C — along with a number of other healthy nutrients — and the olive oil and sunflower seeds contain vitamin E.

4. Zinc

Zinc is a part of many enzymes that are needed for good vision and the integrity of eye tissue, Johnson says. It’s part of the AREDS2 formulation for controlling AMD and should be part of a general eye-healthy diet. You can find it in beans, lentils, seeds, meat, seafood, eggs and dairy products.

5. Lutein and zeaxanthin

These nutrients, part of the carotenoid family of plant pigments, are found naturally in eye tissue. “They’re both in the lens and macula, which is at the dead center of your retina,” Johnson says. “The macula gets a direct hit from light, and thus is vulnerable.” Lutein and zeaxanthin act like sunglasses, protecting the retina from UV damage. That makes them particularly important to the prevention of AMD.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are often found together in foods. They’re abundant in berries, broccoli, papaya, peaches, mangoes, and leafy greens like Swiss chard and spinach.

6. Omega-3 fatty acids

The healthful fats in fish may be as helpful for your eyes as they are for your heart. Research suggests that consuming omega-3 fatty acids in foods or as a supplement may alleviate dry eye disease, when the eye doesn’t make enough tears to lubricate it, Andreoli says. That leads to symptoms like burning, stinging and a gritty sensation. Some studies also show that people who get higher amounts of omega-3s from foods may have a lower risk of developing AMD.

Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines are top sources of these healthy fats. Plant sources include flaxseed, walnuts and chia seeds, and flaxseed, soybean and canola oils.

Flaxseed oil did the trick for Santa Barbara, California, resident Barry Maher, 67, who started taking it after developing dry eye in his 40s. “The dry eye started getting better almost immediately and soon vanished altogether,” he says. “Since then, virtually the only time I’ve had a problem with dry eye was when I stopped taking it.”