We frequently take our eye health and vision for granted. Our eyes, just like our bodies, require different vitamins and nutrients to function properly. Particularly as you age, you need a vital balance of vitamins to keep your eye health and vision at its best.
For instance, without enough Vitamin A and B12, the likelihood of developing eye diseases that can lead to blindness and vision loss increases. Choosing the best eye vitamins is crucial for your ongoing vision and eye health.
Should You Take Vitamins for Eye Health?
Yes, absolutely. Eating a balanced diet and regular eye exams are the best defense for ongoing eye health but for the on-the-go person who may not have the time to prioritize healthy eating, supplements can help with nutrient intake and eye disease prevention.
Finding trustworthy, accurate information about eye health supplements can seem overwhelming, so our top-rated optometrists have put together the ultimate guide. Here are 5 of the most important vitamins you need to keep your eyes healthy and your vision sharp.
5 Best Eye Vitamins (Plus Optometrist Dose Recommendations)
1. Vitamin A — Best Eye Vitamin for Preventing Vision Loss
If you have heard that carrots are good for your eye health, it’s due to their high levels of vitamin A.
It plays a vital role in both the front of your eyes (cornea) and the back (retina). Vitamin A helps us see light. To see the full spectrum of light, your eye needs to produce certain pigments for your retina to work properly. Vitamin A deficiency stops the production of these pigments, leading to night blindness. Your eyes also need vitamin A to nourish other parts, like the cornea and tear film. Without enough vitamin A, your eyes cannot produce enough moisture to keep them properly lubricated. Serious vitamin A deficiencies can result in blindness.
Optometrist Recommendation: Daily value, between 0.7mg and 0.9mg.
2. Vitamin B — Best Eye Vitamin for Preventing Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes the back of your eye (retina) to deteriorate which can cause blurry vision, distortion and blind spots. There are several subtypes of vitamin B, but certain B vitamins, like B6, B12 and folic acid, can help prevent AMD by reducing the levels of an acid in your blood that affects the blood vessels in the retina. In fact, women who took 50mg of B6, 1mg of B12, and 2.5mg of folate supplements for 2 years were 35% to 40% less likely to develop AMD.
Vitamin B is a powerhouse for eye health, also helping the portion of your eyes responsible for transmitting the images from the eye to the brain. In severe deficiency, it can cause reduced vision or blind spots.
Optometrist Recommendation: Daily value, between 0.7mg and 0.9mg.
3. Vitamin C — Best Eye Vitamin for Preventing Cataracts
Did you know vitamin C is required to make collagen?
Collagen isn’t only beneficial for youthful skin, it provides structure to the front of your eyes and helps prevent cataracts. Cataracts occur when the internal lens of your eye becomes cloudy – this is one of the common reasons your vision can get worse as you get older. Vitamin C is one of the best eye vitamins you can take to maintain your eye health.
Optometrist Recommendation: Daily dose, 60 to 90mg. However, daily doses over 500mg of vitamin C may actually increase the risk of cataracts for men who are smokers or obese.
4. Vitamin E — Best Eye Vitamin for Slowing Several Eye Diseases
Both vitamin E and C are powerful eye health supplements that can protect your eyes against unstable molecules that can damage cells, causing illness and aging (free radicals).
Antioxidants have become a buzz word for good reason. Many eye conditions are associated with an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals in your body. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that helps protect your cells — including the cells in your eyes. Some studies suggest that it helps prevent both age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
Optometrist Recommendation: Daily dose, at least 100IU (international units) to get the benefits.
5. Riboflavin — Best Eye Vitamin for Reducing Eye Stress
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is an antioxidant with the potential to reduce oxidative stress in your body and eyes. Oxidative stress can contribute to aging.
What does oxidative stress have to do with vitamins for eye health? Long story short, free radicals can help fight off pathogens that lead to infections. If they are not balanced by antioxidants, free radicals can start doing damage to the DNA and proteins in your body and this is known as oxidative stress. This can lead to a large number of diseases like:
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Hardening of the blood vessels (atherosclerosis)
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Parkinson’s and alzheimer’s
Optometrist Recommendation: Daily dose: 1.1–1.3 mg of riboflavin per day.
It can be easy to achieve by consuming foods like oats, milk, yogurt, beef and fortified cereals.
Real Eyes Optometry, Your Dedicated Eye Health Experts
Our no-rush atmosphere and dedicated staff are here to guide you through the process of understanding how your eyes work. Our top rated Burnaby Optometrists will help you learn preventable measures to keep your eyes functioning at its full potential. Meet our team.
All of our recommendations are selected independently and are not influenced by commissions.
