Foods that May Help You Keep Your Eyes Healthier, Longer

We like to see and we like to eat. By eating the right foods you may make your eyes, and the rest of your body, healthier for a longer period of time. Foods contain nutrients that can help our bodies function properly, perhaps undoing some of the damage we inflict on ourselves due to unhealthy habits. The same diet that can help your heart will also help your eyes, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The organization has come up with 36 foods that could help your sight. Many of them are fruits, vegetables, beans and fish. Some nutrients keep the eye healthy overall while others reduce the risk of eye diseases. A diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help not only your heart but also your eyes. Our eyes use tiny arteries for oxygen and nutrients, just as the heart relies on much larger arteries to do the same job. Keeping your arteries healthy will help your eyes. Your retina needs vitamin A to turn light rays into the images we see. If you don’t get enough, your eyes won’t be moist enough to prevent dry eye. Carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe and apricots are excellent sources of vitamin A. Vitamin C is an antioxidant which protect the body from harm due to some foods we eat, unhealthy habits and environmental factors. Fried foods, tobacco smoke and sunshine can result in free radicals, molecules that can damage and kill healthy cells. Vitamin C helps repair and grow new ones. Vitamin C can be found in oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons, peaches, red bell peppers, tomatoes and strawberries. Vitamin E is another antioxidant which can be found in avocados, almonds and sunflower seeds. Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants found in leafy green vegetables and brightly colored foods. They protect the macula, the part of the eye providing us our central, most detailed vision. Foods with lutein and zeaxanthin include kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, collards, turnip greens, broccoli, peas and, though while not leafy and green, eggs are good source of these nutrients. Consuming omega-3 fatty acids in cold-water fish may help reduce the chances of suffering eye diseases later in life. These fish include salmon, tuna, sardines, halibut and trout. Omega-3’s are also good for tear function and may help those with dry eye. The mineral zinc helps keep the retina healthy and may protect against harm caused by sunlight, but too much may lower the level of copper in your body, which is required to form red blood cells. You can get both minerals by eating beans (legumes), including black-eyed peas, kidney beans and lima beans.  Other zinc-rich foods are oysters, lean red meat, poultry and fortified cereals. While eating the right diet is the best way to get eye-healthy nutrients, those with macular degeneration are an exception. For these individuals, taking supplements is recommended by the Age Related Eye Disease Study 2, a follow-up to the AREDS (Age-Related Eye Disease) Study. If you suffer macular degeneration and have questions about your diet or supplements, give us a call. It’s not too late to start eating a healthy diet and you can never start too soon. Many of us change our bad eating habits only after we’re diagnosed with a serious health problem. If you’re not doing so already, start eating well now to benefit your vision and your health for the rest of your life. If you have questions about how your diet can impact your vision and eye health, contact us at 610-437-4988 or fill out our contact form so we can start the conversation and work together to protect your sight. Houman Ahdieh, MD Lehigh Valley Center for Sight https://www.lvcenter4sight.com eyedoc@lvcenter4sight.com

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