Basics Print Eat These Foods for Healthy Eyes By Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial policy Shereen Lehman, MS Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Richard Fogoros, MD on April 19, 2017 Richard N. Fogoros, MD, is a retired professor of medicine and board-certified internal medicine physician and cardiologist. He is Verywell's Senior Medical Advisor. Learn about our Medical Review Board Richard Fogoros, MD Updated on July 21, 2019 More in Basics Hot Topics Food Safety A healthy diet provides essential nutrients that help keep your eyes healthy. For example, it's well-known that vitamin A is essential for vision, and a deficiency can result in a disorder called night-blindness. Findings from the "Age-Related Eye Disease Study"—a major clinical trial sponsored by the National Eye Institute, also indicate vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and lutein may help reduce the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in the elderly. Additional studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may help protect eyes from retinal degeneration and ease the discomfort of dry eyes. Of course, it's important to point out that researchers used large amounts of nutrients in these studies—similar to what you may find in specially formulated dietary supplements. The following foods are high in one or more of these eye-protecting nutrients. 1 Carrots Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Take carrots, for example. Carrots provide vitamin A, and its precursor, beta-carotene. Vitamin A is essential for vision because it's needed to form rhodopsin, which is a protein that absorbs light in the retina. Vitamin A is also necessary for the normal function of the cornea and membranes that surround your eyes. Carrots are also rich in potassium and fiber while being low in calories and almost fat-free. Serve carrot sticks with a low-calorie veggie dip, top a salad with chopped carrots, or serve cooked carrots as a healthy side dish. Are Carrots a Good Addition to Your Diet? 2 Oranges Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Oranges are good for your vision because they're an excellent source of vitamin C, which was used in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, and your body needs it to make connective tissue and for healthy blood vessels, including those found in your eyes. Oranges will do more than keep your eyes healthy because they also contain potassium, fiber, calcium, and folate. An orange makes an excellent grab-and-go snack, or you can enjoy a tall glass of orange juice any time of the day. Nutritional Benefits of Oranges 3 Strawberries Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Strawberries are also packed with vitamin C, so they may help to protect your eyes from age-related diseases and keep the connective tissue and blood vessels around your eyes healthy. Strawberries are also rich in folate (a B vitamin), fiber, and an array of phytochemicals. Tips Eat fresh strawberries plain or topped with a dab of whipped cream and chopped nuts. Or serve them with Greek yogurt or steel-cut oatmeal for a healthy breakfast. You might even want to try strawberry vinaigrette or strawberry chicken salad. Health Benefits of Strawberries 4 Sweet Potatoes Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber, just like carrots, so they're also good for your eye health. The sweet flavor makes sweet potatoes a hit at mealtime, so it's easy to get all that good nutrition into your diet, even if you're a picky eater. Serve baked sweet potatoes with olive oil, or a touch of a sweet glaze or top with baked beans, onions, cooked spinach or nuts. Take a break from regular French fries and make sweet potato fries instead, with a little bit of molasses drizzled on the top. Or try sweet potato casserole. Yum! Healthy Ways to Serve Sweet Potatoes 5 Oysters Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Oysters are good for your vision because they're very high in zinc, which was used in the "Age-Related Eye Disease Study." If you don't like oysters, you can still get some zinc from nuts, beef, or pork, although oysters contain more zinc than any other food. You'll find canned oysters on most grocery store shelves, and raw oysters are located in the fresh seafood department. Eat raw, smoked or cooked oysters as an appetizer, or make oyster stew. How Healthy Are Raw Oysters? 6 Spinach Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Spinach is connected to eye health because it contains lutein, which is related to vitamin A. Research shows that people who eat lutein-rich green leafy vegetables may have a decreased risk of macular degeneration. Spinach also gives you iron, vitamin K, and folate, and is very low in calories. Eat raw spinach leaves at the base of a salad or part of a sandwich. Cooked spinach makes a delicious and nutrient-packed side dish or a healthy ingredient in a variety of recipes, such as quick spinach dip, a classic warm spinach salad with hot bacon dressing, or spinach casserole. Spinach Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits 7 Walnuts Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Walnuts are good for your eyes because they contain vitamin E, which was used in the "Age-Related Eye Disease Study," and a significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid, which is the plant version of omega-3 fatty acid. Walnuts are also rich in zinc and other minerals, plus several B-complex vitamins. Eat raw nuts with a piece of fresh fruit as a healthy snack or toast chopped walnuts and add them to a salad or cooked green vegetables. Walnut Nutritional Information 8 Salmon Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Salmon is good for healthy eyes and normal vision because it contains significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acid—more than any other type of fish or seafood. Studies suggest that people who have a higher intake of these fatty acids may be less likely to suffer from dry eyes. Serve baked salmon for dinner or use salmon chunks in salads and salmon patties. Salmon can also be served raw (like sushi or sashimi), or smoked with crackers. Try easy herbed baked salmon or spinach pesto salmon. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get it free! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin A and Carotenoids." National Institutes of Health National Eye Institute. "Age-Related Eye Disease Study-Results." Tan JS, Wang JJ, Flood V, Rochtchina E, Smith W, Mitchell P. "Dietary antioxidants and the long-term incidence of age-related macular degeneration: the Blue Mountains Eye Study." Ophthalmology. 2008 Feb;115(2):334-41. American Optometric Association. "Essential Fatty Acids Omega-3 DHA and EPA.