Basics 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 process Shereen Lehman, MS Reviewed by Reviewed by Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDE, CPT on April 18, 2020 facebook twitter instagram Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDE, CPT is a New York City-based telehealth registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition communications expert. Learn about our Review Board Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CDE, CPT Updated on April 20, 2020 Print A healthy diet provides essential nutrients that help keep your eyes healthy. For example, 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, zinc, and lutein may help reduce the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older people. Additional research suggests 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. Carrot Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits 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 glass of orange juice any time of the day. Try brown-sugar baked oranges or a citrus kale salad. 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. Serve them with Greek yogurt or steel-cut oatmeal for a healthy breakfast. Try a strawberry vinaigrette or chicken salad with strawberries. You can also use strawberries in beverages, like a strawberry-basil sparkler. 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 a health sweet potato casserole or kale and lentil-stuffed sweet potatoes. 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. Oyster Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits 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. Or try zucchini-walnut breakfast cookies. 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 process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS report no. 8. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119(10):1417-36. American Optometric Association. Essential fatty acids. Omega-3: DHA and EPA. 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;115(2):334-41. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2007.03.083