Parents are known to tell their children adages to get them to eat their vegetables. For example, "Eat your carrots, and you'll have good eyesight." While this adage may seem like a ploy, there is some truth to consuming carrots for eye health. Carrots will not cure blindness or override genetic eye conditions. However, science shows carrots provide a number of vitamins that operate to optimize your genetic potential in eye health.
Beta Carotene
Carrots contain carotenoids, the agent giving carrots the orange pigment. The most active form of carotenoids is beta carotene. Carrots contain more beta carotene than any other fruit or vegetable, according to the Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health. Beta carotene helps synthesize the production of vitamin A, which enhances vision. Also, beta carotene lowers the risk of developing cataracts. Beta carotene is also found in cantaloupe, mango, pumpkin and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is used in forming visual light and visual color. Night vision acuity is dependent upon adequate vitamins and minerals, specifically vitamin A. Vitamin A consumption provides lubrication to the eyes, preventing dryness and irritation. A deficiency in vitamin A can contribute to night blindness and xerophthalmia, or dry eye. Xerophlthalmia can lead to blindness as a result of inadequate mucous production in the eye.
Lutein
Carrots also contain lutein, an antioxidant. Lutein is located in the macula, which is the central part of the retina and region of greatest visual acuity. According to a 2006 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," lutein protects against age-related macular degeneration, the leading contributor of blindness among older individuals, and cataracts.
Cleansing Benefits
Carrots contain chlorine, which is essential in cleaning the liver by excreting bile and fats. The liver is responsible for converting beta carotene into vitamin A. If the liver is healthy, vitamin A conversion is more efficient. When the liver is not functioning adequately, the eyes signal this dysfunction. A common symptom of liver disease is yellow discoloration of the eyes, due in part to the high concentration of bile pigment in the blood stream.
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