Components of your eyeball include the retina, lens, iris and rod and cone cells. When light hits your eyeball, these parts perform a complex series of events to send a signal through your optic nerve to tell your brain what you have seen. A variety of nutrients are essential for developing and maintaining healthy eyeballs and good vision, and a nutritionist can analyze your diet to make sure that you are getting what you need.
Seafood
Fatty fish and shellfish provide fats called eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. Your body can convert EPA into DHA, and DHA is a necessary nutrient for eye development in babies and infants, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Omega-3 fatty acids are heart-healthy fats, and your risk for heart disease may decrease when you get at least two servings of fatty fish or shellfish per week, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Fruits and Vegetables
Vitamin A is essential for vision because it is a necessary part of the reaction that occurs in response to light hitting your eyeball. Spinach, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, mango and orange squash are excellent sources of vitamin A. Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin that may reduce your risk for developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, according to the National Eye Institute. Fruits and vegetables with vitamin C include strawberries, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes and tomato juice, onions and broccoli.
Meat and Poultry
Meat and poultry, such as beef, pork, chicken and turkey, are good sources of zinc, which provides nourishment to your eyeball by making vitamin A available to your eyes. Your body needs zinc for making retinol-binding protein, which transports stored vitamin A from the liver to your eyes, and a deficiency can lead to symptoms of vitamin A deficiency, such as night blindness.
Nuts
Nuts provide vitamin E, an antioxidant vitamin which may have similar effects on your eyes as vitamin C. Vitamin E may lower your risk for age-related macular degeneration, and a deficiency can cause retinal damage. Vitamin E is also in avocados, peanuts, spinach and plant-based oils, such as olive, canola, sunflower and safflower. Walnuts supply alpha-linolenic acid, a short-chain omega-3 fat which your body can convert into DHA to support visual health.
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010; January 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Zinc; Jane Higdon; December 2003
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Vitamin A; Jane Higdon; January 2003
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Vitamin C; Jane Higdon; January 2006
- Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center; Essential Fatty Acids; Jane Higdon; December 2005
- National Eye Institute: Antioxidant Vitamins and Zinc Reduce Risk of Vision Loss from Age-Related Macular Degeneration; October 2001
