Vitamin deficiencies can cause numerous health problems, including eye damage. Deficiencies of certain vitamins, such as vitamin A, are especially detrimental to eye health. Eating vitamin-rich foods can help prevent nutritional deficiencies that cause eye damage and vision problems, and taking extra vitamins via dietary supplements may also help some people ward off advanced eye disease. It is important, however, to consult your physician before taking dietary supplements for eye health, as these might cause dangerous side effects and medication interactions.
Eye Damage and Vitamin A Deficiency
While rare in the U.S. and other developed countries, vitamin A deficiency can cause serious and irreversible eye damage. The general term for A-deficiency-related eye damage is "xerophthalmia." In its mildest form, xerophthalmia causes night blindness. If it progresses, xerophthalmia causes destruction of the cornea and, ultimately, blindness. Vitamin A only exists in certain foods whose availability, depending on what part of the world you live in, might fluctuate with seasonal changes. To make sure you get enough vitamin A to prevent vitamin A-related eye damage, be sure to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Green leafy vegetables, carrots and sweet potatoes are especially high in vitamin A, which is also found in animal products, including meat and dairy.
Vitamin E Deficiency and Eye Damage
Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, is also important for eye health, and vitamin E deficiency also can cause eye damage. A common symptom of vitamin E deficiency is retinopathy, or damage to the retina of the eye. According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin E deficiency symptoms are rare in healthy people, although people with certain health problems, including fat-malabsorption diseases such as Crohn's disease, might need to take extra vitamin E to prevent a deficiency. Vitamin E can be found in nuts, vegetable and salad oils, peanut butter and sweet potatoes. Although vitamin E deficiency is rare, Western diets, and especially low-fat diets, might not contain optimal levels of vitamin E for eye health, according to the American Optometric Association.
Vitamin B-12 and Optic Neuropathy
Vitamin B-12 deficiency might also cause eye damage, including optic neuropathy, or damage to the optic nerve. Fortunately, such damage might be at least partially reversible. A case study published in the "European Journal of Internal Medicine" in 2005 evaluated the effects of B-12 supplementation on a B-12-deficient 68-year-old man with vision reduction symptomatic of optic neuropathy, noting that the man's vision problems improved after a few months of B-12 supplementation. Research published in "Pediatrics" in 2010 also identified B-12 deficiency as a cause of partially-reversible optic neuropathy in autistic children, which might result from severe food selectivity that eliminates animal products. Such foods include red meat, poultry, fish and dairy, which are important dietary sources of B-12. For this reason, strict vegetarians who don't eat any animal products might be at risk for B-12 deficiency. Fortified breakfast cereals are one of the few vegan sources of B-12.
Vitamins to Protect Eye Health
People who are at risk for some eye diseases might benefit from taking certain vitamins. According to the National Eye Institute, or NEI, the landmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study, or AREDS, determined that taking high amounts of antioxidant vitamins and zinc can reduce the risk of developing a type of eye damage called advanced age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, by about 25 percent. However, according to the NEI, only people who are at high risk for developing advanced AMD should take the so-called "AREDS formulation." Before taking an AREDS supplement, see an eye care professional who can determine if you're at risk for advanced AMD, and discuss with your personal physician whether the benefits of taking the AREDS formulation outweigh the risks. The AREDS formulation includes a high dose of vitamin A, which might increase the risk of lung cancer among smokers, according to the NEI, as well as high-dose vitamin E, which is associated with increased all-cause mortality, according to MayoClinic.com.
References
- United Nations Subcommittee on Nutrition: Vitamin A Deficiency
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin E
- American Optometric Association: Vitamin E
- "European Journal of Internal Medicine"; "Optic Neuropathy in Vitamin B-12 Deficiency"; S.H. Chavala et al; October 2005
- "Pediatrics"; "Vitamin B-12 Optic Neuropathy in Autism"; S.L. Pineles et al; October 2010
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B-12
Member Comments