Nutrition and vision: which to choose?

What are the links between diet and vision?

The most frequently asked questions are: Does your diet have a direct impact on your eyesight? Can we adapt our diet to improve or maintain our vision? A rich and complete diet is essential for maintaining overall health, but certain foods in particular have a significant impact on your eye health and the associated physiological functions. Conversely, a poor diet and junk food can be risky for your vision. In this article, we give you our top picks for ingredients to prioritize to maintain your vision and minimize the risk of developing eye diseases or infections.

How to maintain your vision?

It is important to note that the key to good nutrition for vision is diversity: many nutrients play an essential role in maintaining eye function, but they will not necessarily have the desired effect without a diverse diet in other respects.

The major food groups that are useful for maintaining good vision include antioxidants, vitamins, and certain minerals naturally present in food (and others much less so).

Antioxidants to protect your eyes against aging

A balanced diet consists of a variety of dairy proteins, fruits, and vegetables. But antioxidants and pigments are often overlooked in diets and other food priorities. A fairly reliable rule for including good antioxidants in your meals is to eat colorful foods. Why? It's simple: most brightly colored foods (carrots, red cabbage, berries, etc.) are so because they are rich in antioxidant pigments. You've probably heard of beta-carotene? These pigments, naturally present in carrots, are also found in the retina and help protect your eyes against age-related damage.

What are the 10 best foods for healthy eyes?

Here is our selection of 10 essential foods to protect your vision. Most of these foods are readily available and affordable year-round, so there's no reason to deprive yourself!

• Oily fish: Fish such as tuna, sardines, and salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are considered "healthy" fats. These healthy fatty acids contribute to the development of a healthy retina and vision. Eating such fish, which contain good fatty acids, helps prevent and reverse certain eye conditions such as dry eye. (Vegetarian alternative: Algae oils and certain vegetable oils like flaxseed oil can provide these good omega-3s to fish-free diets - see our article on vegetarian omega-3s).
• Carrots: It is well known that carrots are beneficial for the eyes. They contain lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. These nutrients contribute to better vision and maintain the surface of the eye. Regular consumption of carrots can also help prevent eye infections and certain serious eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• Kale : Kale contains essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that are very good for eye health. This superfood contains the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which help prevent eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
• Eggs : Eggs are excellent for maintaining eye health. The yolk, in particular, is very rich in nutrients such as vitamin A, lutein, and zinc. Vitamin A is important for protecting the cornea, and lutein, combined with zeaxanthin, reduces the risk of developing eye degeneration. Zinc is also an essential nutrient for retinal health.
• Almonds : Almonds are rich in vitamin E, a natural antioxidant that helps protect the retina against damage from oxidative stress and thus maintain healthy eyes despite aging eyes.
• Dairy products : Dairy products like milk and yogurt contain vitamin A and the mineral zinc. Vitamin A protects the cornea of ​​the eye. Zinc helps transport vitamin A from the liver to the eyes. This mineral is important for eye health and night vision.
• Oranges : Oranges, along with other citrus fruits, contain vitamin C, which contributes to the health of blood vessels. This antioxidant helps the body fight the development of degenerative and inflammatory eye diseases.
• Bell peppers : Of all bell peppers, red bell peppers contain the highest levels of antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamins A, C, and E, and carotenoids. These nutrients are important for visual acuity and night vision. Regular consumption of bell peppers protects the macula from degeneration.
• Blueberry : Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, an excellent antioxidant that slows the progression of certain age-related and cellular aging diseases, particularly in the retina.
• Peas : Peas are an important source of nutrients that help maintain normal vision. They contain lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin C, and zinc. These nutrients promote eye health and protect against various eye diseases.

If your diet doesn't provide enough daily nutrients to maintain good eye health, you can supplement your diet with eye-focused food supplements . At Phytocea , we've developed our ORetine food supplement, combining all the micronutrients necessary for maintaining vision and combating age-related eye conditions.

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Bonus: other tips for maintaining good eye health

• Drink plenty of water to prevent dry eyes and avoid dehydration
• Go to the ophthalmologist regularly (once a year) to have your vision checked, but also for signs of potential pathologies.
• Always wear sunglasses when it's bright. The sun is the number one cause of premature eye aging.
• Controlling blood sugar levels helps prevent circulatory problems and diabetic retinopathy (see our article).
• Avoid smoking: nicotine and certain heavy compounds found in industrial tobacco are pro-oxidants and accelerate cellular aging, particularly in your retina.