CAN CERTAIN FOODS REALLY KEEP YOUR EYES HEALTHY?

•  April 4, 2019
 
•  Gurjeet Jutley
 
•  Eye Health Care, Gurjeet Jutley

Your diet can have a bigger impact on your eyesight and eye health than you might think. By maintaining a healthy diet, you could reduce your chances of experiencing poor-quality eye health later in life. Eating the right foods now can help you avoid or slow down conditions including cataracts, glaucoma and loss of vision in the future. In this blog, Gurjeet Jutley takes a look at some of the most effective foods for eye health that you could and should be including in your diet.

Cooked kale and carrots

Cooked kale includes lutein and zeaxanthin, which both have an excellent reputation when it comes to promoting good quality eye health. Carrots are famously beneficial when it comes to eye health and include beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A once it is inside our bodies. They are also excellent sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. It’s thought that Vitamin A can prevent cataracts as well as macular degeneration. To get the biggest eyesight benefits from carrots, eat them cooked.

Red peppers

Red peppers are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids. These can boost our night vision and prevent macular degeneration. They include vitamins A, C and E, which all promote good eye health. When you cook red peppers, you release more carotenoid pigments, though more vitamin C is retained when you enjoy them raw.

Fruit for eye health

Also full of beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids are oranges, which are also rich in vitamin C. Blackcurrants, blueberries and purple olives are rich in anthocyanin, which can help slow down cataracts and macular degeneration.

Garden peas and eggs

Garden peas are yet another generous source of beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin pigments, also offering vitamin C and zinc to slow down damage related to age. It’s wise to gently boil or lightly steam your peas to get the most nutrition from them. Eggs have a great deal of lutein and a significant amount of zeaxanthin. They can prevent macular degeneration and reduce the risk of cataracts substantially. It is important to consume the yolk, not just the white to really reap the benefits.

Omega-3 benefits

Omega-3 fatty acids can help us prevent dry eye syndrome, moisturising the eyes and regulating tear production whilst reducing inflammation. Experts advise the public to eat two or three portions of oily fish each week, or to consume chia seeds, flax seeds and leafy greens if they are not big fans of fish. Omega -3 can also be sound in almonds, which are rich in vitamin E and zinc-rich seafood like prawns, lobster and oysters. If you don’t eat meat, you can source zinc from spinach, pulses and kidney beans, to give just a few examples.

Lifestyle changes

Other steps you can take to protect eye health include quitting smoking, wearing sunglasses to reduce UV exposure and using safety eyewear in environments where eye injuries could occur. Try to limit your exposure to computer and phone screens if possible and make sure your glasses or contacts prescription is up to date. It’s important to rest your eyes every 20 minutes or so when using a computer for work, looking 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

Get in touch

We hope you have found this useful. Gurjeet Jutley is a leading eye surgeon offering a range of treatments. For more advice or to book an appointment, get in touch today by completing the form on the website, calling 07568512719 or sending an e-mail to rahimapaservices@gmail.com.

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