Healthy aging is best achieved by taking a holistic approach. It’s important to do what you can to protect and maintain your vision health to ensure your overall well-being. One simple (and tasty) way to do this is to add more nutritious foods to your diet.
Below is a look at some of the most nutritious foods for your eyes.
Learn more: Best Places to Buy Glasses Online
The Best Foods for Healthy Eyes
Whether you have a family history of vision problems or are trying to combat eye strain in your everyday life, here are 12 foods to improve eye health.
Broccoli
A study funded by the American Optometric Association found that indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in broccoli, can help remove toxins from your retina. This reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss in older adults. Broccoli also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which also protect your eyes. Note, however, that this study claims that you would have to eat an unreasonable amount of broccoli to truly protect yourself from AMD.
Salmon
Keeping your eyes healthy starts with getting enough moisture. Some of the best foods for eye health can do a lot. Salmon, for example, contains omega-3 fatty acids. This helps reduce the risk of dry eyes, an unpleasant condition that becomes more common as you age.
If you are a woman, it is more important to eat salmon and other foods containing omega-3s, which are good for eye health. People assigned female at birth are twice as likely to develop dry eye.
Carrots
You’ve probably heard it before: Carrots are one of the best foods for eye health. For starters, they’re loaded with beta-carotene, an antioxidant your body uses to make vitamin A. Vitamin A helps you see at night and protects against myopia (aka nearsightedness). If you’re looking for a way to avoid having to get your vision corrected—or to keep your current prescription for contacts or glasses as long as possible—reach for Bugs Bunny’s go-to snack.
Additionally, carrots also contain lutein, another antioxidant that may help reduce your risk of AMD.
Learn more: Best Places to Buy Lenses Online
Sun-flower seeds
Yes, you need to protect your eyes from the sun. But don’t let the name fool you: no protection is needed here. Sunflower seeds are one of the best foods for your eyesight. They’re high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects our eyes from oxidative stress. Vitamin E also helps fight the sun’s harmful UV rays, reducing the risk of cataracts.
An important thing to note here: although your body can synthesize some vitamins, you must get vitamin E from dietary sources or supplements.
Kiwi
Looking for another way to combat potential sun damage? Opt for kiwi. This fuzzy fruit made our list of the best foods for eye health because it contains lutein, the AMD-fighting antioxidant I mentioned earlier, as well as zeaxanthin, which helps your eyes filter light.
Oysters
While most other foods that benefit eye health aren’t surprising, this one may seem a little out of the ordinary. Still, it’s worth giving it a try. Not only do oysters contain omega-3 fatty acids, they’re also high in zinc. That gives you another powerful nutrient if you’re trying to fight AMD.
Spinach
Take a cue from Popeye and eat spinach. As a great source of nutrients, this leafy green vegetable is also one of the best foods for eye health. It’s loaded with lutein, which, as I mentioned before, is a key component of eye health. And spinach also contains zeaxanthin.
To help your body better absorb these antioxidants, you should eat them with fat. A small spinach salad tossed with olive oil—which also contains omega-9s and a small amount of omega-3s—is an easy way to incorporate the best foods for your eyesight into any meal.
Eggs
Eggs provide just about everything your eyes need, from lutein and zeaxanthin to zinc and vitamin A. In fact, a 2019 study concluded that eating a moderate amount of eggs on a regular basis (about two to four eggs per week) significantly reduces your risk of developing AMD. If you want to prioritize foods that are good for your eyes, eggs can make it easier.
Almonds
Almonds and other nuts contain high levels of vitamin E, the antioxidant that fights AMD and cataracts. Again, your body can’t produce this vitamin on its own.
Plus, it’s one of the best foods to improve eye health if you’re trying to avoid cooking. If you don’t want to turn on the stove or grab a cutting board, you can grab a handful of almonds and go.
Yogurt
Dairy contains both vitamin A and zinc, two nutrients I’ve already highlighted as essential for eye health. But if you really want to choose the best foods for your eyesight, opt for the fermented variety when making your dairy choices. Why? Because yogurt contains probiotics. And a growing body of research shows that these good bacteria may help with everything from allergic conjunctivitis to dry eye.
Oranges
I’ve already talked about beta-carotene, its role in vitamin A, and why vitamin A is important for your eyes. But what I didn’t tell you is that it’s usually pretty easy to consume foods that contain beta-carotene for one important reason: This antioxidant makes them orange. So you can be sure that oranges contain a good amount of this nutrient, earning them a spot on this list of the best foods for improving vision.
Plus, as you probably already know, oranges are loaded with vitamin C. And that can help your body fight AMD, cataracts, and vision loss in general.
Strawberries
Oranges are highly prized for their vitamin C content, but strawberries actually have more. And since vitamin C has been shown to be beneficial in preventing vision loss, cataracts, and AMD, these berries deserve a spot on our list of the best foods for eye health.
