Foods That Can Improve Your Eye Health

Vision is the strongest sense for many people and helps us make decisions about the world around us. We use it to make hundreds of decisions every day and can easy take it for granted. This is why eye health is so very important. While many eye problems can be prevented, unfortunately, some types of damage to the eyes is not preventable. Genetic diseases, illnesses and injuries are all things that cannot be controlled by a healthy lifestyle. However some of these can be minimized by medications and care by an eye specialist.

One of the biggest visual concerns as people age is blindness. Blindness can occur for many different kinds of reasons such as cataracts or age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). ARMD is a disease that affects the most sensitive part of the retina, the macula. This is where photoreceptors in the retina process light into electrical signals which is sent to the brain via the optical nerve. Over time the macula can become damaged by negative health and lifestyle choices, such as an unhealthy diet or smoking. The damage leads to vision problems and eventually could lead to blindness.

Early stages of ARMD are difficult to diagnose and doesn’t typically include vision loss. Some intermediate and late cases can be treated with vitamin and mineral supplements. Oftentimes, damage can be minimized with preventive measures. The best way to keep your eye healthy is prevention. Some of the best preventive measures are drinking enough water, wearing sunglasses and eating a well balanced diet.

To keep your eyes healthy, proper care and a diet rich in foods that contain vitamins and other nutrients are some of the easiest and best ways to prevent some types of eye damage. Studies have shown that some of the best foods for keeping your eyes healthy are found right in your own kitchen. Check out this list of common foods that have shown positive health benefits for our eyes:

Bananas

Bananas are rich in vitamin A which plays an important role in eye health. Researchers found that increased fruit intake (such as bananas) helped reduce certain types of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) that cause blindness. This proves that three or more servings of fruit a day could help keep certain types of blindness at bay with regular exams.

However, caution needs to be used. The ripeness of a banana can affect the glycemic level. Ripe bananas have a higher glycemic count than other ripe fruit. High glycemic foods are linked to other types of eye related diseases and diabetes.

Grapes

Grapes are another fruit that has many benefits for the eyes–specifically the retina. The retina plays a very important part in vision as it is where the photoreceptors are. Photoreceptors are cells that respond to light and are divided into two groups: rods and cones. These cells help us distinguish colors (cones) and see in the dark (rods).

Grape supplements have shown to provide protection to retinal function, lower inflammatory proteins and promote protective proteins.

Coffee

While we may think our cup of Joe in the morning is to help us jump start the day, coffee has several other health benefits. Coffee has been shown to help diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Now, eye health can be added to that list.

Many other foods such as salmon, eggs and fresh vegetables also contain vitamins and nutrients that help keep eyes healthy, many of which you probably already have in your kitchen already. Eating healthy not only helps your eyesight but the rest of your body as well. Other lifestyle choices such as drinking water and getting regular eye exams can also help you keep your eyes healthy. Protecting your eyes from sun damage by wearing sunglasses is always a good idea, as well.

Your eye health is important to not only you but to us as well. Valuvision strives to provide our patients with the best eye care at affordable prices. It’s important to see your eye care specialists yearly and immediately if you have an injury or notice any changes in your vision. So when you have questions about eye glasses, your vision or need to schedule an eye exam in JAX, contact us.