Does Our Diet Affect Our Eyes?
Good eye health in later life is important as it enables you to live life independently on your own terms. However, as we age, we naturally become more at risk of sight loss and a range of age-related conditions like macular degeneration.
Fortunately, research has shown that certain nutrients, like vitamins A, C, and E, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, can promote eye health and help reduce the risk of certain eye conditions.
In this article, we explore how diet affects your eyes and share some of the foods known to help promote healthy eyesight as you age.
The link between nutrition and eye health
A healthy, well-balanced, and nutritious diet plays an important role in maintaining good eye health and protecting vision, especially as one ages.
Research has shown that certain nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E, zinc, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, can support your eye function, reduce the risk of age-related conditions, and help prevent damage from harmful environmental factors like UV light.
This means that including foods high in these nutrients in your diet can help ensure your body has everything it needs to promote optimal eye health.
Food to boost your eye health
Including nutrient-rich foods in your meals can significantly boost your eye health and help protect your vision. Here are 10 of the best foods for maintaining optimal eye health:
1. Carrots
Carrots are well-known for supporting good vision. Carrots contain high levels of beta-carotene, which helps prevent night blindness, protects the eyes from age-related decline, and helps your body produce vitamin A, which is essential for maintaining the health of your cornea.
2. Spinach
Packed with antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin, spinach helps your eyes filter harmful blue light and shields them from UV damage. Eating spinach regularly can also reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
3. Salmon
A good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which not only support overall eye health but also help prevent dry eyes and reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), salmon is a great food for eye health. Eating salmon a couple of times a week can also help maintain the structural health of the retina.
4. Blueberries
Blueberries are rich in powerful antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, that can help protect your eyes from oxidative stress, improve circulation to the retina and enhance night vision. When eaten on a regular basis they can also reduce your risk of cataracts and glaucoma.
5. Eggs
Eggs are high in lutein, vitamin E, and zinc, which are all crucial for maintaining the health of the retina and lowering the risk of developing age-related conditions like macular degeneration. The yolk is particularly rich in these eye-protecting nutrients, so it’s important to eat the whole egg.
6. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a tasty alternative to the humble potato and are rich in beta-carotene. This helps lower the risk of night blindness and supports healthy vision by promoting the production of vitamin A, which is crucial for maintaining moisture in the eyes and preventing dry eye syndrome.
7. Citrus fruits
Oranges, grapefruits, and lemons are all packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant that strengthens blood vessels in the eyes and helps to prevent cataracts. Regularly eating citrus fruits has also been shown to slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration.
8. Almonds
Almonds are rich in vitamin E, which helps protect your eyes from free radical damage and reduces the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Just a handful of almonds a day provides about half your daily vitamin E requirement.
9. Broccoli
Packed with vitamins C, E, and lutein, broccoli provides essential nutrients to keep your eyes healthy and reduce oxidative stress. It also contains sulforaphane, a nutrient that protects the eyes from harmful environmental damage and may help prevent macular degeneration.
10. Red peppers
Red peppers are high in vitamin C, vital for maintaining the health of the blood vessels in your eyes. They also help reduce the risk of cataracts. They are rich in beta-carotene, which supports overall eye health and vision.
Are there any diets that improve eye health?
There is no one diet you should follow to improve your eye health. Instead, it is important to prioritise eating a healthy, well balanced and varied diet rich in nutrients known to promote eye health. This includes:
- Antioxidants – antioxidants help mop up harmful free radicals and reduce oxidative stress which can increase your risk of certain eye conditions
- Omega-3 fatty acids – these fatty acids help slow the progression of sight loss conditions such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy
- Vitamin A – is an important nutrient for maintaining good eyesight, especially in low-light conditions
- Lutein and zeaxanthin – these powerful antioxidants help shield your eyes from harmful blue light and UV rays
To incorporate more of these nutrients into your diet, you can try:
- Eating the rainbow – try to eat a diverse range of colourful fruits and vegetables every day.
- Swapping to healthy fats: Choose foods high in healthy omega fatty acids, like salmon, chia seeds and nuts, instead of foods high in saturated fats, like processed meats and baked goods.
- Choose healthy snacks – Opt for healthier snacks like vegetables and hummus or fruit and nuts instead of ultra-processed snacks like crisps or cakes.
More vision care tips
Although diet plays a key role in helping to maintain healthy vision, there are other things you can do to boost your eye health. This can include:
- Having regular eye tests: Routine check-ups with an optician or ophthalmologist can detect early signs of eye conditions, allowing for timely treatment. If you have no ongoing eye problems, you should have an eye test at least once every two years.
- Wearing sunglasses: To protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, which can contribute to cataracts and macular degeneration, you should wear sunglasses when outdoors, especially in sunny conditions.
- Take breaks from screens: When using screens, follow the 20-20-20 rule—this means looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This is an effective way to reduce digital eye strain and prevent dry eyes.
- Stay hydrated: Proper hydration helps maintain eye moisture and reduces the risk of dry eyes, which can lead to discomfort and blurry vision.
- Stop smoking: Smoking can increase the risk of developing eye conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and damage to the optic nerves.
- Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, which can lead to diabetic retinopathy, a serious eye condition.
- Manage your blood sugar and blood pressure: Having high blood sugar or blood pressure (hypertension) can damage blood vessels in the eyes, leading to vision problems.
Home care for vision loss
If you are concerned about the impact deteriorating vision is having on your ability to live independently in the home you love, home care from Trinity Homecare could be the ideal solution for you.
With our home care, you can get bespoke support that is tailored to your requirements so whether you require live-in care or visiting care, you get specialist support from carers who are fully trained in supporting those living with eyesight health issues.
What’s more, at Trinity Homecare, we are dedicated to providing the best possible services for those in our care living with reduced vision or other eye-related health problems. By partnering with Outside Clinic – specialists in delivering eye and hearing tests at home – we are able to ensure that you can continue to get regular eye check-ups even if you are not able to visit the opticians.
Trusted home care from Trinity
If you’re looking for dedicated home care for you or your loved one, trust Trinity Homecare. For the past 25 years, we have provided the highest standards of care in the comfort of people’s own homes. We understand that deteriorating eyesight can be worrying and make everyday tasks more difficult, but we passionately believe that with the right support in place, you can live a full life in the home you love.
Trinity Homecare is a fully managed care agency with an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating, placing Trinity amongst the top 4% of all nationwide care companies in England. With this in mind, you can rest assured that your loved one will receive the highest standard of care and specialist support.
If you have any questions about arranging care, simply get in touch with our helpful and knowledgeable care team.
Arranging nationwide home care with Trinity is straightforward. Simply follow these five steps:
- Call our care team
- Undergo a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your care needs and arrange a care assessment
- After the assessment, a plan of care is created
- A well-suited carer is found and placed
- Care can be adapted at any time
- A well-suited carer is found and placed
- Care can be adapted at any time