Delicate and easily damaged, your eyes require particular care to keep them functioning properly throughout your life. Fortunately, many of the vitamins that should be included in a healthy, balanced diet can contribute to keeping your eyes healthy and vision sharp, in addition to the other functions.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is one of the most important vitamins for healthy eyes. It is used to create the pigments in your eye's retina and helps keep your eyesight sharp -- especially low-light eyesight. Foods like milk and other dairy products, eggs, liver and some types of fish are good sources of vitamin A. Men need about 900 mcg of vitamin A per day, while women need about 700 mcg per day.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E also contributes to healthy eyes and sharp eyesight. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, vitamin E can actually help improve eyesight in people suffering from advanced macular degeneration. Vitamin E is plentiful in many different types of nuts, sunflower seeds and many green vegetables such as spinach, collard greens, asparagus and kale. Most adults need about 22.5 IU of vitamin E per day; women who are breastfeeding need about 28.5 IU per day.
Vitamin C
Your body can also use vitamin C to help prevent or fight macular degeneration. It may also be able to help treat uveitis, which is a type of eye inflammation. Many different fruits and vegetables contain high levels of vitamin C, including peppers, tomatoes, most berries, most citrus fruits, broccoli and cantaloupe. Men need about 90 mg of vitamin C per day, while women need about 75 mg. Women who are breastfeeding, however, need about 120 mg.
Vitamin D
According to a 2007 issue of the "Archives of Ophthalmology," the potential for macular degeneration can also be reduced by sufficient vitamin D intake. Exposure to sunlight allows your body to make vitamin D independently; it is also found in eggs, cod liver oil, and fatty fish like tuna or salmon. Adults need about 5 mcg of vitamin D until age 50, 10 mcg until age 70, and 15 mcg thereafter.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin A - Overview; Linda Vorvick, MD; March 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin E; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; December 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid); Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; June 2009
- Archives of Ophthalmology; Association Between Vitamin D and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 Through 1994; Niyati Parekh, PhD, RD et al.; May 2007
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin D; David Zieve, MD, MHA et al.; June 2010
