Your eyes are important tools in how you live. You value their importance and take them for granted at the same time. Regular eye exams combined with good nutrition and appropriate supplementation will help to ensure that your eyes last as long as you need them to. The cornea is the outer, clear layer of the eye. It is the first point of contact for light.
Cataracts
Vitamin C is considered to be an antioxidant. It can prevent cellular damage from aging and disease. In a study published in the American Journal of Nutrition in 1991, it was shown that people who regularly supplemented with vitamin C and beta carotene had a significantly reduced risk of developing cataracts.Lens opacification is one of the signs of cataracts. A study by P.F. Jacques in 2005 showed that long term ingestion of vitamin E reduced this type of opacification or whitening of the lens.
Macular Degeneration
Age related macular degeneration was shown to be halted or slowed down in individuals in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of aging who were taking in adequate levels of vitamin C, E and beta carotene. These vitamins did this by providing antioxidant protection from free radicals produced when light enters the eye through the cornea and activates oxygen. The free radicals naturally damage the macula.
Aging and Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and co enzyme in the eyes. Vitamin C levels are generally 10 to 50 times higher in the eyes than the blood. This will diminish naturally with age. Vitamin C enhances healthy vision by supporting and promoting healthy blood flow. Vitamin C is particularly protective of the eye lens and visual clarity. Vitamin C provides an essential component for optimal lens longevity, continuing to ingest adequate vitamin C as you age is imperative for eye health.
Vitamin E and Eye Health
Many of the benefits of vitamin E are related to it's antioxidant properties as stated previously. It's role in prevention of macular degeneration and development of cataracts seems to be associated with a combination of other antioxidants, zinc, and copper. Higher blood levels of vitamin E seem to associated with superior lens clarity as seen in the "Antioxidant vitamins and nuclear opacities: the longitudinal study of cataract."
Deficiencies
Most of the time, people can obtain enough vitamin E and C in their diets. True deficiency is rare. People with Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, or an inability to secrete bile from the liver into the digestive tract, sometimes require supplementation of water soluble vitamin E due to malabsorption issues. Vitamin C is water soluble so you need to constantly replenish your stores. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, smokers are at a higher risk of deficiency. Although rare in industrialized countries, signs of vitamin C deficiency include dry and splitting hair, gingivitis, scaly skin, decreased wound-healing rate, easy bruising, nosebleeds, and a decreased ability to ward off infection.
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