Many of us spend the first half of our lives assuming that if we can see, our eyes are healthy. Then we spend the second half expecting our vision to falter.
“Only when things start to go wrong do people stop taking their vision for granted,” says Rudrani Banik, MD, an integrative eye doctor in New York City and associate professor at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine. She’s also the author of Beyond Carrots: Best Foods for Eye Health A to Z.
Yes, aging changes the eyes. The lenses stiffen, making it difficult to read menus in low light and identify the buttons on the TV remote. But beyond the common need for reading glasses, aging does not necessarily lead to poor vision.
“A lifetime of simple choices, such as what you eat and what you wear in the sun, not only reduces the risk of developing an eye disease but also mitigates the extent of disease if it does happen,” says Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, IFMCP, an integrative optometrist in Shrewsbury, N.J.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four in 10 American adults are at high risk for vision loss. The most common causes are cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. All are likeliest to develop after age 50.
Still, we’re not helpless. “Studies have shown that the best thing you can do to support the overall health of your eyes is to make healthy nutrition choices,” Banik says.
The more colorful your food choices, the better. In the plant kingdom, color signals antioxidants, and antioxidants are your eyes’ bulwark against free-radical damage.
That protection is vital. While the eyes are relatively small organs, visual processing involves a lot of brain power: An estimated 50 percent of the brain’s cortex is devoted to the visual pathways, Banik notes. This processing uses a lot of energy, which leads to free-radical production.
The cells inside the retina are so metabolically active that pieces of the rods and cones constantly break off and need to be hauled away, explains optometrist Jeffrey Anshel, OD.
“Think of it like taking out the garbage,” he says. “If debris builds up, the system breaks down.”
Antioxidants, especially a subset called carotenoids, are the eye’s trash collectors. The natural world bursts with hundreds of varieties of these bright plant pigments, but only a few dozen have woven their way into the human diet. Even fewer shoulder the outsize role of cleaning up after the eyes. If the volume of trash chronically overwhelms the available carotenoids, vision can get glitchy.
But stocking up on carotenoids isn’t difficult. Turn to these nutrients to maintain long-term ocular health.
Anthocyanins
→ Best sources: Bilberries and other berries
→ Most important effect: Targets light-induced oxidative stress in ocular tissue
Anthocyanins — the pigments that give berries their bright reds, deep purples, and near-black blues — have a storied reputation for sharpening vision.
During World War II, British pilots reportedly ate bilberry jam to enhance their night vision. Although postwar studies didn’t find convincing evidence that bilberries support better vision at night, scientists have noted the berries’ capacity to soothe digital eyestrain.
In recent studies, people who significantly upped their intake of anthocyanins reported improvement in the telltale sensations of eyestrain after they’d concentrated on a screen for up to an hour. This included relief from fatigue and blurred vision.
Other studies suggest bilberry extract might alleviate the symptoms of DED. Bilberries are high in delphinidin-3,5-O-diglucoside, an anthocyanin that limits free-radical formation in the tear glands. This helps lubricate the eyes and the surface of the cornea.
Berries also have a low glycemic index, making them especially beneficial for people with diabetes, which often leads to vision damage. When blood-sugar levels are erratic, the spikes and drops can damage the blood vessels that lie on top of the retina, says Anshel. “Eventually, the blood vessels break down, which can cause blurry vision or even blindness.”
Bilberry extracts are largely safe, especially when consumed in amounts that approximate a serving or two of the berries themselves.
Astaxanthin
→ Best sources: Shrimp, salmon, and lobster
→ Most important effect: Protects against dry-eye disease
Astaxanthin is the carotenoid responsible for the reddish-pink tint of salmon, shrimp, and lobster. Although less well studied than other carotenoids, astaxanthin is one of the strongest antioxidants found in nature. It has up to 1,000 times the potency of vitamin E, 200 times that of tea polyphenols, and 10 times more than lutein or zeaxanthin.
“Effectively, it is a superantioxidant,” says Gioia. “It is a powerful player in the carotenoid family.”
It also plays a very specific role in eye health. Astaxanthin minimizes oxidative stress and downregulates inflammatory cytokines around the glands that lubricate the eyes. Without enough moisture, the eyes become susceptible to dry-eye disease (DED). This condition — characterized by irritation, burning, and stinging — affects up to a third of people over 50.
In a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, 60 patients with mild to moderate DED experienced significant improvements after taking 6 mg of astaxanthin tablets twice daily for about 30 days.
Research on astaxanthin supplementation is relatively thin, so for now, food sources are your best bet. (Try these astaxanthin-rich recipes for salmon, this Spicy Ginger Shrimp Sheet-Pan Meal, or this elegant grilled lobster).
Glutathione
→ Best sources: Avocados and asparagus
→ Most important effect: Protects the lenses from oxidation
Our eyes’ lenses are bombarded with high-intensity, shortwave blue light for much of the day. Sunlight is a huge source of oxidative stress, as are computer screens.
To protect itself, the pea-size lens has one of the highest concentrations of glutathione found anywhere in the body.
Glutathione is often called the master antioxidant, but “superhero” is more accurate. It can regenerate after neutralizing free radicals and wields enough power to bring other exhausted antioxidants, like vitamin E, back to life.
“Glutathione is essential for keeping oxidative stress in check,” says Banik.
The glutathione we produce naturally declines as we age, so researchers are exploring whether a lack of the nutrient leaves the eyes more vulnerable to oxidative stress and, therefore, age-related vision troubles. Several studies have found 
decreased levels of glutathione in patients with age-related macular degeneration, but the mechanisms are still not understood.
Because glutathione supplements are poorly absorbed through the gut, the best way to boost levels is by enjoying a variety of antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits. In addition to avocados and asparagus, sulfur-rich crucifers like kale, cabbage, and broccoli, as well as alliums like onions, garlic, and shallots, are good choices.
(Learn more about this power antioxidant and how you can boost your levels at “8 Ways to Boost Glutathione.”)
Lutein and Zeaxanthin
→ Best sources: Kale, spinach, and eggs for lutein; goji berries for zeaxanthin
→ Most important effect: Protects the retina from blue light
Two carotenoids are nonnegotiable for eye health: lutein and zeaxanthin. Differing only in their arrangement of atoms, they contribute to the bright red, orange, and yellow pigments found in plants.
These nutrients are unique in their ability to cross the blood-retina barrier to reach the macula, a small part of the retina that’s responsible for central vision. Once there, they concentrate in the retina’s center to take the brunt of the sun’s high-intensity, short-wavelength blue light. Banik describes them as nature’s sunglasses.
Our bodies can’t make carotenoids, so we need to get them from food. Lutein resides in dark leafy greens, broccoli, and egg yolks. Less-plentiful zeaxanthin is found in corn, persimmons, and orange peppers. Fun fact: The food with the most zeaxanthin is the goji berry.
| Fun fact: The food with the most zeaxanthin is the goji berry.
While shielding the retinas from blue light, lutein and zeaxanthin also increase contrast, boost visual acuity, lower oxidative stress, and cool inflammation. Gioia says the importance of lutein and zeaxanthin to ocular health is unequivocal. Aim to eat dark leafy greens and eggs several times a week (see “How to Eat More Dark, Leafy Greens” for ideas on how to add more to your diet).
An egg yolk is lutein-rich, adds Anshel, so be sure to eat more than just the whites. He also suggests cooking greens in extra-virgin olive oil because fat increases the body’s absorption of these nutrients.
There is no official recommended daily intake for either lutein or zeaxanthin, but some research clocks a benefit with a daily 10 milligrams of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin.
Worth noting is that the typical American diet includes just 1.7 mg of lutein a day, so you may want to consider taking a supplement. Multiple studies suggest lutein and zeaxanthin supplements can address mild vision complaints, like glare sensitivity, and help prevent more serious conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
→ Best sources: Oily fish and flaxseeds
→ Most important effect: Eases eyestrain
Best known for fighting inflammation, omega-3 fatty acids may also help alleviate DED and digital eyestrain.
Estimates suggest that up to 90 percent of people experience visual discomfort after spending time on screens. The most common complaints are eye soreness, headaches, and blurry vision.
Growing evidence also shows a connection between screen time and dry eyes. Blinking lubricates the eye, and normally we blink about 15 times a minute. Our per-minute blink rate plummets to a half or a third of that when we stare at a screen.
Fatty acids can help. The connection between DED and omega-3 fats was first established in 2005. Data from more than 32,000 participants in the Women’s Health Study found that those who consumed fatty fish multiple times a week slashed their DED risk by as much as 68 percent. In the 20 years since, several studies have suggested that supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids could significantly improve symptoms of DED.
Gioia suggests the acronym SMASH for identifying some of the fish richest in omega-3s: salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and herring. And omega-3s frequently travel alongside eye-supportive astaxanthin, as in salmon. “Salmon is a rich source of eye-healthy nutrients,” she says.
You can also protect against digital eyestrain by sitting an arm’s length from your screen, looking up and away from your screen at regular intervals, and opting for glasses instead of contacts.
(Explore this guide to understanding omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and how they influence your health.)
Vitamin A
→ Best sources: Sweet potatoes, carrots, and liver
→ Most important effect: Prevents night blindness and dry-eye disease
Vitamin A helps convert light energy into nerve energy inside the retina, says Anshel. Without ample vitamin A, the retina struggles to rebuild its rods and cones, specialized cells that respond to light and are essential for vision.
Rods govern peripheral vision and operate in low light, enabling night vision; cones handle central vision, calibrating the color and high-intensity light that come with daytime.
In the retina, vitamin A forms rhodopsin, a light-sensitive protein that responds to light as it enters the eye.
Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children worldwide, but a milder deficiency may show up as nyctalopia (night blindness) or xerophthalmia (extremely dry eyes).
“The hardest thing we ask our eyes to do is drive at night,” says Anshel. The brightness of oncoming headlights contrasted against the darkness of the road forces the eyes to switch between prioritizing the cones and the rods. Abundant vitamin A makes that job easier.
Most of us get plenty of this nutrient from the beta-carotene — a carotenoid the body turns into vitamin A — in our diets (think carrots). There’s also vitamin A in fish, organ meat, dairy, and eggs. The recommended daily allowance for vitamin A is 700 micrograms for adult women and 900 mcg for adult men.
Too much vitamin A can be harmful, so if you supplement, take care not to exceed 3,000 mcg daily.
(Discover easy, flavorful ways to enjoy sweet potatoes plus six creative carrot recipes.)
Vitamin C
→ Best sources: Citrus, tomatoes, bell peppers, and kiwi
→ Most important effect: Protects the eyes from the sun
Another potent antioxidant, vitamin C is found throughout the body, but concentrations in the aqueous humor — the clear liquid in front of the eye’s lens — are up to 70 times greater than in plasma. This points to vitamin C’s importance in protecting the eyes from free-radical damage.
The lens is a unique structure in our bodies, says Anshel. “It requires oxygen to grow but has no blood supply because you can’t see through blood. The lens needs to be transparent so light can reach the retina.”
As we age, the lens continues growing — and as it grows, it thickens. The thicker the lens, the less flexible it becomes, which is why we lose the ability to focus on things up close, he notes.
And without a blood supply, the lens must get all its nutrition through the aqueous humor.
Scientists suspect that the vitamin C in the humor shields lenses from UV damage, which in turn helps prevent cataracts, the leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Reaching the recommended 200 mg of vitamin C daily is easy if you eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits, especially citrus, tomatoes, bell peppers, and kiwi. Since the body cannot absorb more than 250 mg of vitamin C a day, anything more than that will be flushed out in the urine.
(Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that supports nearly every aspect of health. Learn more at “What You Need to Know About Vitamin C.”)
This article originally appeared as “Eating for Eye Health” in the July/August 2025 issue of Experience Life.
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