This subject along with many others are quite common, we will do our best to answer this and many other similar questions in this article which should ease your mind regarding this subject.
1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A plays a crucial role in vision by maintaining a clear cornea, which is the outside covering of your eye. This vitamin is also a component of rhodopsin, a protein in your eyes that allows you to see in low light conditions Vitamin A deficiency is rare in developed countries, but if unaddressed can lead to a serious condition called xerophthalmia.
Xerophthalmia is a progressive eye disease which begins with night blindness. If vitamin A deficiency continues, your tear ducts and eyes can dry out. Eventually, your cornea softens, resulting in irreversible blindness ( 1 , 2).
Some studies suggest that diets high in vitamin A may be associated with a reduced risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) For general eye health, vitamin-A-rich foods are recommended over supplements. In some studies, high amounts of vitamin A intake were associated with a reduced risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
Overview
Can Vitamins And Minerals Benefit Your Eye Health And Vision?
These are large studies conducted by the National Eye Institute. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. This is the part of the eye responsible for:
recording what we see and sending the information to our brains
seeing fine detail
focusing
Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye.
Cataracts are extremely common, particularly among older adults. The final recommendations from AREDS2 were:
vitamin C 500 mg vitamin E 400 IU lutein 10 mg zeaxanthin 2 mg zinc 80 mg copper 2 mg (taken to prevent copper deficiency caused by zinc)
This supplement formulation is available in capsule form and is usually taken twice daily. Results
Participants in the AREDS2 study took one of four supplement formulations that had been identified as potentially beneficial in the AREDS study.
Each participant took the supplement daily for five years. In people with AMD, the condition was slowed only in people with moderate AMD. Supplements were not effective for people with mild or very advanced stages.
Additionally, supplements used in the study did not prevent AMD or restore vision los.
2. B Vitamins
A large 2009 study found that women who had a vitamin B12 deficiency were twice as likely to have AMD than those with normal B12 levels. Additionally, women who took 50mg B6, 1mg B12, and 2.5mg folate supplements for two years were 35% to 40% less likely to develop AMD.
A deficiency in B vitamins can also lead to problems with the optic nerve, the tissue responsible for taking the images from the eye to the brain. Here’s how you can get more Vitamin B6, a crucial B vitamin:
Yuqing Liu/Insider.
3. Vitamin C
Cataracts, the cloudy areas that develop on the lens of your eye, are among the most common reasons your vision can get worse as you get older.
“Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants. Several studies have shown that getting at least 140 mg per day of vitamin C (for reference, the recommended value is 60 to 90mg per day) can help prevent cataracts from developing. But be careful not to get too much, since a very large 2013 study found that getting over 500mg of vitamin C may actually increase the risk of cataracts for certain groups, like men who are smokers or obese .
A large 2016 study found that people with higher intake of vitamin C were significantly less likely to suffer from AMD. Some good sources of vitamin C are:
Yuqing Liu/Insider
4. More research is needed, but some studies suggest that eating a diet rich in vitamin E or taking vitamin E supplements over a long term may help prevent cataracts and AMD.
However, a large 2001 study found that taking a daily 400 IU vitamin supplement had no effect on eye cloudiness. In most cases, you likely won’t need to take additional supplements unless you have a vitamin deficiency. “For most people, the amount of these vitamins that we get from a well-balanced diet is plenty,” Garg says.
But, if you have a serious condition like AMD, your doctor may recommend that you use supplements. However, because taking high doses of supplements can cause health issues in some cases, “people should not take these high dose vitamins unless they discuss it with their ophthalmologist,” Garg says.