Looking for vitamin A foods for eyes, or wondering which foods are good for your eyes in general? Here is an honest guide to the nutrients involved in vision, where to find them and what supplements can and cannot do. There is no miracle food, but there are plenty of good ingredients.
Key points at a glance
- Vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamins C and E, zinc and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA are all involved in vision.
- You get them from leafy greens, orange vegetables, berries, nuts and oily fish.
- Supplements don’t replace a varied diet, and food doesn’t replace glasses: you can’t eat your way out of a prescription.
- If you have problems with your eyes or vision, see an optician or your GP.
Vitamin A foods for eyes and other key nutrients
Lists of the “best foods for eye health” tend to feature the same few nutrients. The table shows what they do in the body and where you’ll find them.
| Nutrient | What it does | Found in, for example |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A and beta-carotene | Vitamin A is involved in vision: the light-sensitive cells of the retina need it to make the visual pigment rhodopsin. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A. | Carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, apricots, mango; vitamin A itself in eggs and dairy |
| Lutein and zeaxanthin | Yellow plant pigments that build up in the retina, especially in the yellow spot at its centre (the macula), where your vision is sharpest | Kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, sweetcorn, egg yolk, pistachios |
| Vitamin C | Antioxidant; needed to make collagen, a building block of connective tissue and blood vessels | Peppers, broccoli, citrus fruit, berries, kiwi |
| Vitamin E | Fat-soluble antioxidant | Vegetable oils, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts |
| Zinc | Trace element involved, among other things, in vitamin A metabolism | Meat, cheese, oats, lentils, pumpkin seeds, oysters |
| Omega-3 fatty acid DHA | Building block of the retina, especially the light-sensitive cells | Oily fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel; algae oil |
Lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene are fat-soluble, so your body absorbs them better with a little oil, butter or a few nuts. Linseed oil, rapeseed oil and walnuts contain a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid, but the body converts only a small part of it into DHA.
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Here are short answers to the questions we come across most often.
Are carrots good for your eyes?
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. If you already get enough vitamin A, though, eating more carrots won’t help you see in the dark. That story was spread in Britain during the Second World War, reportedly to hide the fact that the RAF was using new radar technology. You’ll find more misconceptions about eyes in 7 Myths about Eyes.
Berries, cherries and bananas
Blueberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and cherries owe their dark colour to anthocyanins, plant pigments that belong to the antioxidants. Dark berries also provide vitamin C. Bananas mainly provide vitamin B6 and potassium. None of these is a special “eye fruit”, but they all fit well into a varied diet, fresh in season or frozen.
Tomatoes and peppers
Tomatoes contain vitamin C and lycopene, a red pigment from the carotenoid family. Your body absorbs lycopene more easily from cooked tomatoes with a little oil, so tomato sauce counts too. Red and orange peppers provide vitamin C, and orange peppers also zeaxanthin.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds mainly provide vitamin E. Pistachios also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, walnuts a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid and pumpkin seeds zinc. A mix of unsalted nuts makes an easy snack.
And what is bad for your eyes?
No single food is bad for your eyes in itself. General healthy eating guidelines recommend plenty of vegetables, fruit, wholegrains and pulses and going easy on sugar, salt and highly processed food, and that applies to your whole body. If you eat lots of ready meals and few vegetables, you simply get less of the nutrients in the table.
What about vitamin supplements for the eyes?
There are lots of eye supplements containing lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc or vitamins. In the UK, food supplements are regulated as food, not as medicines, and their effectiveness is not tested before they go on sale. More isn’t automatically better either: you can have too much of some vitamins and minerals.
If you have an eye condition such as age-related macular degeneration, ask your eye doctor whether supplements are relevant for you. For most people, a varied diet is the easiest way to get the nutrients in the table.
Recipe ideas for every day
The nutrients in this article are easy to fit into your day:
- Breakfast: porridge with blueberries, walnuts and linseed, or scrambled eggs with spinach.
- Snack box for work: pepper strips, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes and unsalted pistachios.
- Lunch or dinner: salmon or lentils with kale or spinach and roasted sweet potatoes.
Three smoothies to try
- Blueberries, carrot, walnuts or hazelnuts, spinach, lemon, ginger
- Apple, seasonal berries, sunflower seeds, mint leaves
- Banana, spinach, carrot, (coconut) milk, linseed, pineapple
Put everything in the blender, add water to taste and finish with a dash of linseed oil. The oil helps your body absorb the fat-soluble carotenoids from the spinach and carrot. Enjoy!
Screen days and contact lenses
If you spend a lot of time at a screen, plan regular breaks: get up, have a drink, look out of the window and grab something from your snack box. If your eyes often sting or burn, or the screen looks blurry, get your eyes checked by an optician. Sometimes your glasses simply no longer suit the distance to your screen.
How long you can wear contact lenses at a time is something to agree with your optician or eye doctor. For lens-free days, glasses are handy, and there are beautiful glasses for every taste and every face. Read more in Contact Lenses – See Clearly Without Glasses.
When should you see an optician or doctor?
Food is not a treatment. Questions about the causes and treatment of eye conditions such as macular degeneration or glaucoma belong with your optician, GP or eye doctor. Depending on the reason, an examination may include a sight test, measuring the pressure in your eye, looking at the retina or a visual field test.
Red, sore or dry eyes can have many causes, so have them checked rather than changing your diet. If your vision suddenly gets worse or distorted, or you see shadows, flashes or spots, don’t wait: seek medical help straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Can food improve your vision?
Not in the sense of seeing more sharply. Short-sightedness, long-sightedness, astigmatism and age-related changes in near vision can’t be corrected with food or vitamins, only with glasses or contact lenses. A sight test at the optician’s shows whether you need them. If reading up close is getting harder, take our reality check on reading glasses.
Are there foods for brighter or more beautiful eyes?
No food makes your eyes lighter, brighter or a different colour. Eye colour depends on the amount of pigment (melanin) in the iris and is largely inherited. If your eyes often look red or irritated, that is a reason to see an optician or your GP.
This article does not replace medical advice.
