The Top 12 Best Superfoods for Your Eyes

Protect your vision with these nutritious (and delicious) foods

Selene Yeager and Stacey Colino,

Updated March 17, 2025

AARP

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En español

Published January 07, 2019

/ Updated March 17, 2025

Diet can have long-term effect on eye health and there is evidence that good nutrition is important for protecting eyes as we age. Studies have connected a diet rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods with reduced risk of the most common age-related eye diseases including cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. Following are foods packed with the vitamins and minerals you need to help protect your eyes.

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1. Blueberries

These violet-hued gems are rich in anthocyanins, potent antioxidants that bolster collagen structure in the retina and provide extra vision protection, notes Johanna Seddon, M.D., an expert on macular degeneration and coauthor of Eat Right for Your Sight. They also may improve vision in people with normal tension glaucoma, a form of the disease that damages the optic nerve. If you spend a lot of time in the sun, anthocyanins can protect your retina against damage from UV light exposure. You’ll also get anthocyanins from other purple, blue and dark red foods like red or purple grapes, blackberries, pomegranates and cranberries.

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2. Dark Chocolate

Here’s a guilt-free reason to indulge in a chunk of dark chocolate today: A 2018 study published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that adults who ate a bar of dark chocolate could literally see better — with greater improvements in visual clarity and visual contrast sensitivity— about two hours afterward than those who consumed milk chocolate. Even if your Dove bar doesn’t sharpen your vision, the flavonoids found in dark chocolate may help improve vision in people with glaucoma as well as reduce the risk for macular degeneration. But consume in moderation, or you’ll have other health issues to worry about!

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3. Eggs

The high price of eggs may be worth it if you want to eat to protect your vision. Egg yolks are loaded with the same powerful eye-protecting antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, that are found in leafy green vegetables, notes Marguerite McDonald, M.D., clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The beauty of getting them in your omelets is that the high fat content in eggs means that you can easily absorb all that antioxidant goodness. A 2020 study in the journal Clinical Nutrition found that people who consume two to four eggs per week have a significantly lower risk of developing late-stage age-related macular degeneration than those who consume one egg or less per week over 15 years. Egg yolks are also a rich source of choline, which plays an important role in eye health, and vitamin D, which may also help protect against macular degeneration.

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4. Oysters

Shellfish like oysters are among the best sources of the mineral zinc, which protects the eyes against the damaging effects of sunlight, McDonald notes. In high doses, zinc also appears to slow the progression of macular degeneration once you have early stages of the disease. But you don’t need more than the recommended dose — 8 milligrams a day for women and 11 milligrams a day for men. Oysters deliver more of the mineral than any other food, but you also can get plenty of zinc from lean red meat, poultry, beans, legumes and fortified cereals.

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5. Oranges

Vitamin C should really be called "vitamin See" because it has such a profound effect on vision. Like other antioxidants, it helps protect against free-radical damage and may reduce your risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration. It also helps build collagen, which provides structure for your cornea. You can also get ample doses of C from other citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi, red bell pepper, cantaloupe and broccoli.

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6. Carrots

No list of sight-saving foods would be complete without carrots — after all, as the joke goes, you never see a rabbit wearing glasses. Bad Bugs Bunny yuks aside, carrots are a rich source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant carotenoid that your body converts to vitamin A, which is essential for good vision. Vitamin A helps with the production of both rod and cone cells in the eyes, which help you see in low light conditions and see colors. Beta-carotene also helps fend off disease-causing free-radical damage to the eyes. Eating large amounts may lower your risk for diseases like macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma. You can get beta-carotene from yellow, orange and red fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes and cantaloupes as well as dark leafy greens like kale and broccoli.

A bowl of almonds spilling on the table.

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7. Almonds

Almonds are great sources of vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects the eyes from free-radical damage. Research has also found that people over age 50 who have a high dietary intake of vitamin E — along with vitamin C, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids — have a substantially lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. The recommended daily intake of this antioxidant vitamin is 15 milligrams, the amount in about 2 ounces of almonds. Other good sources of vitamin E include sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, vegetable oils, peanuts and peanut butter.

Cooked salmon on a plate with lemon slices and vegetables

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8. Salmon

“Getting omega-3 fatty acids matters for maintaining healthy eyes,” says Sunir J. Garg, M.D., a retina surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

A 2021 meta-analysis of studies in the journal Clinical Nutrition examined dietary patterns and the risk of age-related macular degeneration and found that people who regularly ate fish had up to a 29 percent reduced risk of developing the sight-stealing disease. Aim for two to three servings a week of cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, mackerel or halibut.

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9. Kale

Kale, spinach and other dark leafy greens like collard greens and turnip greens are packed with lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that are stored in the eye’s macula, which helps shield the eye from damaging light. Lutein is especially good at filtering out blue light, which is the kind that emanates from the screens of digital devices.

These antioxidants also appear to help promote rich blood flow to your eyes. Lutein and zeaxanthin are fat soluble, so drizzle olive oil onto kale for maximum absorption — and deliciousness.

Whole and sliced tomatoes on a cutting board with a knife.

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10. Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain a positive quadruple whammy of nutrients that protect eye health: lycopene, which is part of the carotenoid family, as well as the antioxidants lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. The antioxidants can help protect against UV-induced damage and the development of cataracts. And lycopene may play a role in preventing age-related macular degeneration:

A study in a 2022 issue of Frontiers in Nutrition found that people with higher blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin have a significantly lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.

Other good sources of lycopene include watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya and dried apricots.

11. Orange and yellow bell peppers

“Bright orange and yellow peppers contain high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin,” says Rudrani Banik, M.D., an integrative neuro-ophthalmologist in New York City and found of The Eye Health Summit, a global event dedicated to integrative eye health. “These yellow-pigmented nutrients shield the retina from high-energy blue light and can protect against digital eye strain and macular degeneration.” As an added perk for your peepers: These bell peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C, and red bell peppers are rich in beta-carotene, too.

12. Turmeric

Often used in curries, soups, and stews, “this bright yellow spice contains an active ingredient, curcumin, which has potent anti-inflammatory properties,” Banik says. Researchh as found that curcumin may be useful in treating some retinal disorders. Because it has antioxidant properties and anti-inflammatory effects, curcumin has been shown to exert protective effects against dry eye, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration. The positive effects are so compelling that curcumin consumption is even included in a recently developed food pyramid designed to prevent or help treat age-related eye conditions. In addition to incorporating turmeric in soups and stews, you can add small amounts—such as ¼ to ½ teaspoon—into tea or hot milk for a healthy treat, Banik says.

Editor’s Note: This story, originally published January 7, 2019, has been updated to reflect new information.

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