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Medically Reviewed
Many people make decisions about what foods to eat or supplements to take with heart or brain health in mind. But an often forgotten organ that deserves attention when it comes to nutrition, too, is the eye.
Our eyes are very complex sense organs whose cells must remain in top shape for a lifetime, as once they’re damaged, they don’t grow back or heal.
That means as we age, protecting cells in the eye with certain vitamins and other nutrients is essential for their health.
Read on for your guide to the best vitamins and nutrients for eye health.
The eyes are exposed to a very significant amount of oxidative stress (an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants) due to potentially damaging visible light, explains Paul Bernstein, M.D., Ph.D., of the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah. To help protect against this stress, your body needs a steady supply of antioxidants, he says, adding that dietary vitamins and other nutrients are the primary sources of natural antioxidants for the body.
Scientists can now pinpoint the presence or absence of certain vitamins to a lower or higher risk of various eye diseases as we age.
“The only known means of prevention of some age-related eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration or cataracts is by exploiting nutrition,” suggests Allen Taylor, Ph.D., director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Tufts’ USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.
Cataracts are the clouding of the eye lens from a breakdown of protein, which often occurs with aging, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. With cataract prevention, ensuring enough antioxidants are in the diet is key, says Usiwoma Abugo, M.D., spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
AMD happens when age-related changes cause the area of the eye responsible for our central vision to break down, causing blurred vision.
“Patients who have age-related macular degeneration have a clear benefit to taking an antioxidant vitamin combination known as the Age-Related Eye Diseases Study (AREDS) 2 formula,” notes Adrienne L. West, M.D., with the University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center.
The AREDS and AREDS 2 studies use a gold-standard research design, she adds. “We are therefore quite confident in the results,” explains Dr. West.
The AREDS 2 supplement can be found in many drugstores or bought online. An eye care specialist can tell you if taking the AREDS 2 supplement is right for you based on your eye exam results. Because the AREDS 2 supplement contains such high amounts of vitamins and minerals, always check with a doctor before taking it.
Dry eye disease is the result of an eye that cannot produce enough tears or moisture to keep the surface wet. Some vitamins and nutrients containing essential fatty acids may be useful in the management of dry eye, according to the American Optometric Association.
The cornea is the part of the eye that allows light in. For some people, it becomes abnormally shaped, which can cause blurred or distorted vision. A certain B vitamin, known as riboflavin, can absorb harmful light that may be toxic to the more internal parts of the eye, suggests Dr. Abugo.
Always speak with an eye care specialist if you experience any sudden or unexplained changes in your vision.
There are many individual factors to consider when it comes to determining if vitamins and nutrients for eye health should come from whole foods, supplements or both sources.
“The best thing would be to have patients follow a reasonable diet, but that’s not always realistic for every patient,” explains Robert C. Layman, O.D., president of the American Optometric Association.
People usually don’t eat separate vitamins or even foods in isolation—instead, we often eat complex diets consisting of many foods. And some diets do show promise for eye health as they contain larger amounts of foods with beneficial eye vitamins and nutrients.
“Additional literature indicates that consuming Mediterranean type diets or low glycemic index diets also protects against AMD, and probably cataracts as well,” says Dr. Taylor. “A consistent finding is protection associated with fats contained in dark fish.”
In addition to the omega-3 fatty acids found in dark fish, the National Eye Institute also suggests a diet rich in dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach, is good for the eyes.
In some cases where certain vitamins or nutrients from foods are under consumed, improperly absorbed or found in foods that do not meet personal taste, preference or cultural needs, supplementation could help round out the diet.
Before taking supplements for eye health, speak with an eye care specialist who can review your individual eye health needs and explain how dietary supplements may fit in. Experts also note that too much vitamin supplementation can be harmful, and high doses of certain vitamins and minerals may lead to side effects—including blurry vision. Be sure to stay within the recommended daily value.
Vitamin A is essential for enabling our eyes to see at night, as it plays a role in producing certain pigments for the retina. If there is not enough vitamin A in the diet, it could lead to night blindness.
Deficiency of vitamin A in the U.S. is rare, according to Dr. Bernstein. Good dietary sources of vitamin A’s precursor beta-carotene include many colorful fruits and vegetables, he adds.
Carotenoids are what give yellow, orange and red fruits and vegetables their color, and some can be converted by the body into vitamin A. Vitamin A is also found in most multivitamins.
These vitamins may help protect cells in the eye and promote healthy blood vessels for overall eye health. “Both vitamins E and C are antioxidant vitamins, and components in the AREDS vitamin combination recommended for certain patients with age-related macular degeneration,” says Dr. West.
The AREDS and AREDS 2 study supplement mentioned previously, which includes 500 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 International Units of vitamin E, among a combination of four other nutrients, was found to reduce the risk of progression from intermediate to advanced AMD by about 25%, and risk of vision loss by roughly 19%[1].
People who have macular degeneration or who are at risk of macular degeneration due to a family history of the condition should see an ophthalmologist for an eye examination to determine if they should be taking this supplement, adds Dr. West.
Eating diets high in foods that have vitamin C and E, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds may also help protect against cataracts[2] and AMD[3]. Because the supplemental form of these vitamins does not have an effect on cataracts, additional study is needed[1].
Riboflavin is needed to help produce glutathione, an important antioxidant found throughout our body that accumulates in the eye, says Dr. Layman. Increasing riboflavin intake has been linked to protection against cataract progression, he says.
Riboflavin is also useful for management of corneal abnormalities, adds Dr. Abugo.
Fortified breakfast cereal, yogurt, meat, nuts, cheese, eggs and mushrooms have riboflavin. Most multivitamins also contain riboflavin, and deficiency is not a concern in the U.S.
B vitamins may reduce the risk of vascular problems affecting the retina as well as macular degeneration and uveitis, a common cause of blindness, according to Dr. Layman. The retina is a layer of cells at the back of the eye that plays a critical role in sending signals to the brain so we can see.
However, more research is needed when it comes to the role of B vitamins in eye disease, cautions Dr. Bernstein.
B vitamins are found in a range of foods from eggs to animal meats, fish to dark leafy greens, and in chickpeas, rice and bananas. Multivitamins also often have B vitamins. Deficiency is rare except for the case of vitamin B12 in older adults or people who struggle with B12 absorption, says Dr. Abugo.
The retina of the eye is where anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids are found. “They are essential to maintain normal structure and function of the photoreceptor cells in the retina,” explains Dr. Bernstein. They may also reduce inflammation and support tear production as well as management of dry eye disease.
In fact, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation could prevent symptoms of dry eye, according to a review of studies published in Cornea[4].
However, Dr. West cautions that one of the most high-quality studies to-date on supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids for dry eye disease, called the DREAM study, has not confirmed these results, and suggests more research may be needed[5][6].
Still, a Mediterranean-style diet, which includes many food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, is linked to improved dry eye parameters as well as less risk for AMD, according to studies in Nutrients[7][8].
Good sources of omega-3’s include cold water fish like salmon or herring, and Dr. Bernstein encourages his patients to have at least two servings of these fish a week.
“Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants that are found in the retina and may protect the eye from damage caused by blue light and ultraviolet light,” says Dr. West. These natural compounds work like internal sunglasses inside the eye that protect them from damaging light, adds Dr. Layman.
The AREDS 2 study found that including 10 milligrams of lutein and 2 milligrams of zeaxanthin daily, along with other nutrients, was a safe and effective alternative for the use of beta-carotene in the original AREDS study for reducing AMD progression, according to a 10-year follow-up study in JAMA Ophthalmology[9].
Foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin include green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli and kale and bright foods like corn and tangerines.
A review in Advances in Nutrition suggests lutein and zeaxanthin from dietary sources is generally important for maintaining eye health, but to determine how much and how long these compounds need to be eaten for clinical benefit, more research is needed[10].
Along with nutrition, there are other important steps you can take to protect your eye health. This includes avoiding environmental and physical stress to the eyes. Ways to protect your eyes, according to the National Eye Institute, include:
Perhaps one of the most important and simple ways to keep your eyes healthy is by getting annual eye exams with either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. This is especially true if you are 40 or older, even if you do not have any vision or eye problems, or risk factors for eye diseases.
People who have underlying health conditions like diabetes or a family history of eye disease should have an earlier evaluation to monitor for eye disease, adds Dr. West.
At these visits, an eye care specialist can also discuss proper nutrition and diet for eye health, as well as how to meet individual eye care needs with supplements.
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Dylan is a registered dietitian and fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who works to ensure accuracy in reporting science and research communications. He has presented research at several academic conferences and has published several scientific manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. Dylan spends time mentoring students about the growing field of nutrition communications and precepting dietetic interns around the country. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Cultures of Gender and Age Member Interest Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and is also the Social Media Chair for the Early Career Nutrition Interest Group of the American Society for Nutrition.
Dr. Brian DeBroff is professor of clinical ophthalmology and visual science at Yale University and the vice chairman of the Yale School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology, where he is also the director of cataract and IOL implant surgery at the school’s medical practice, Yale Medicine. He specializes in anterior segment microsurgery, cataract, IOL implantation and laser surgery. Dr. DeBroff has over 100 original peer-reviewed articles, 10 book chapters, and two textbooks on ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery, and has lectured nationally and internationally. He has been the team eye doctor for the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Hockey team and the NY Islanders Farm team.
