Vitamins for Eyes

These vitamins for eyes may help maintain healthy eyes, good vision and prevent eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration and dry eye syndrome. They may also reduce the risk of cataracts and vision loss or blindness.

Vitamin A deficiency is the most common cause of blindness. The causes of vitamin A deficiency include malnutrition which is common in underdeveloped countries and malabsorption due to certain diseases. Not eating vitamin A rich foods and certain medications are also the causes of inadequate vitamin A.

Vitamin A is available as retinols or preformed vitamin A, beta carotenes and carotenoids. Beta carotene is provitamin A and is present in many plant sources and is converted to vitamin A in the body. Foods rich in vitamin A include beef, chicken, eggs, liver, fortified milk, carrots, leafy green vegetables, mangoes and sweet potatoes.

The recommended dietary allowances or RDA for vitamin A is 3,000 IU for males and 2,300 IU for females above 19 years. The RDA for pregnant women is 2,565 IU and the RDA for nursing mothers is 4,300 IU. It is safer to take vitamin A in the form of beta carotene to avoid vitamin A toxicity. If you are already having the early symptoms of an eye problem especially if you are an older adult, a higher dosage may help prevent deterioration. But you should consult your doctor first for advice and diagnosis because the condition could be due to other underlying cause or disease.

A crossover, placebo-controlled, randomized trial concludes that taking antioxidants may prevent or improve the symptoms of dry eye syndrome or xerophthalmia. Vitamin A, Vitamin C and vitamin E are antioxidants and taking any of the vitamin supplements may help improve tear stability and quantity.

Another study found that taking high doses of vitamin C, vitamin A in the form of beta carotene together with zinc reduce the risk of vision loss in some people with intermediate and advanced age-related macular degeneration.

Aging is one of the causes of cataracts which among the symptoms include the inability to read small prints and blurred vision at night. Getting adequate vitamin C and vitamin E may help reduce the risk of cataracts and also slow down its progression. Natural sources of vitamin C include grapefruit, oranges, papaya and watermelon. Foods rich in vitamin E include almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts and wheat germ.

Vitamin B1 or thiamine is another one of the beneficial vitamins for eyes when taken with other vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin B2 and vitamin B3. The combination may help prevent cataracts. Preliminary studies indicated that taking vitamin B1, vitamin B2, folic acid, vitamin B12 vitamin C and vitamin E protect the lens of the eyes which may also prevent cataracts.

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