What Foods Improve Eye Health and Eyesight?
- Maria Bogoeva
- Feb 12, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 28
Have you wondered what the best foods for eye health are? Taking care of your eyes should be part of your daily routine. And that care often starts with what’s on your plate.
Learn what to eat for better vision and explore the eye health foods to enhance and protect your eyesight. We also mention the key nutrients and vitamins to benefit your eyes.
Why Eye Health Matters?
Good vision makes life easier. Poor eyesight makes it harder to enjoy reading or driving and decreases the quality of life. Low vision also causes discomfort, low self-esteem, and dependence on others.
The good news? A balanced diet full of nutrients and eye-friendly vitamins is a wonderful way to support your vision. When your eyes are healthier, they become more resistant to certain eye conditions.
Eye Health and Nutrition and What Your Eyes Need
Before we dive into the top foods, let's understand why nutrition matters for your eyes.
The eyes need adequate amounts of specific vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to stay healthy:
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Lutein
Zeaxanthin
Omega-3
What Foods Help Eye Health?
Eating the right foods goes a long way in supporting your vision. Take a look at some of the best food options to include in your diet:
1. Leafy Green Vegetables
Spinach, kale, collard greens, and other leafy vegetables are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, two key antioxidants for eye health. Lutein and zeaxanthin protect your eyes from age-related damage, like cataracts and macular degeneration.
2. Yellow and Orange Fruits & Veggies
Yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are also on top of the eye-friendly foods list. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and yellow squash are packed with beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. Vitamin A supports the surface of your eyes so you can see better in low light.
3. Citrus Fruits & Berries
Citrus and berry fruits should always be a part of your diet. Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and lime are loaded with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant fighting damage from free radicals. Berries like blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries also boost eye health thanks to their high antioxidant content.
4. Fatty Fish
Fatty fish is key to good eye health nutrition. Salmon, sardines, and mackerel are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. The body can't produce them and must obtain them through diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats. They support retina health (the part responsible for transmitting visual information to the brain), reduce eye inflammation, and may help prevent dry eyes.
Fatty acids in fish also promote the health of the blood vessels in the eyes. Thus reducing the risk of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can cause loss of vision in people with diabetes. What's more, Omega-3 fatty acids protect against age-related vision loss.
5. Eggs
Egg yolks are a natural source of lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidants accumulate in the macula, a small, central portion of the retina responsible for central vision. When they collect in the retina, they help filter harmful blue light. Eggs also provide protein, which supports overall eye function.
RELATED: Do Eye Health Supplements Work?
6. Nuts & Seeds
Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, lentils, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and chia seeds are full of vitamin E, zinc, and omega-3s. These are some of the best nuts and seeds for the eyes. The nutrients in nuts and seeds slow down age-related eye damage. Even a small handful a day can make a difference.
Don’t Forget to Hydrate and Drink Water
Staying well-hydrated is one of the simplest and most overlooked ways to support eye health.
When your body dehydrates, it produces fewer tears, causing dry eyes, irritation, and blurry vision. If you've ever experienced a burning or gritty sensation in your eyes, dehydration could be the cause. Dehydration also makes eye strain worse if you spend long hours in front of screens.
Drinking enough water helps:
Keep your eyes properly lubricated
Flush out irritants
Support tear production
Aim for at least 6-8 glasses of water per day, more if you’re physically active or in a dry environment. Another way to boost hydration is with water-rich foods - cucumbers, watermelon, and oranges.
If your eyes often feel tired or dry, try drinking a glass of water before reaching for artificial tears.
Can Eating Healthy Improve Your Eyesight?
Incorporating eye-healthy foods into your diet will ensure you are getting enough crucial nutrients for eye health. However, while a healthy diet could improve eyesight and protect against age-related vision loss, it is not a 100% guarantee.
Genetics, environmental factors, acquired eye diseases, and lifestyle choices can also play a role in the health of your eyes. Overall, eating a healthy diet is one important step to take.
Consult your eye doctor or healthcare provider to develop a personalized plan for maintaining your eye health. By doing that, you are also not ignoring any crucial dietary restrictions and avoiding allergic reactions to some of these foods.
Read more about how to improve your eye health in Ophthalmology24's For Patients blog section.
Resources:
"Lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations in plasma after dietary supplementation with egg yolk" American Journal for Clinical Nutrition
"Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Eye Health: Summary" Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
✅ Medically reviewed by Atanas Bogoev, MD.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maria Bogoeva is a medical writer with over 11 years of experience in copywriting and content strategy. She’s the founder of Ophthalmology24, where she leads the creation of clear, practical, and medically accurate content for ophthalmologists and patients. Her mission: make ophthalmology education more accessible and engaging worldwide.
