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How a healthy diet is good for your vision

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March 4, 2024—If you're looking out for your eye health, turn to your fridge and pantry. Research shows that eating certain kinds of healthy foods can help you reduce your risk for eye diseases and conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, glaucoma and dry eye.

Nutrition and your eyes

A healthy diet is a powerful weapon against the damage that can occur in your eyes, notes the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Nutritious foods not only fight cell damage and slow the progression of conditions like AMD—a common condition in older adults that damages the retina and causes vision loss—they are also essential for normal, healthy eye function.

Here's a breakdown of the top nutrients for your vision, followed by examples of foods that are good sources of those nutrients.

Antioxidants slow down a process called oxidation, which ages and damages cells and can cause eye disease. Antioxidants that protect and boost eye health are vitamins A, C and E; beta-carotene; lutein; and zeaxanthin.

Dark-colored vegetables and fruits such as kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, citrus and strawberries are rich in these antioxidants, as are eggs.

Omega-3 fatty acids can help relieve dry eye. Regularly eating foods that contain these fatty acids also can protect against AMD. Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, sardines and other cold-water oily fish, plus walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds.

Zinc is a mineral that protects the retina from the damage sunlight can cause. But getting too much zinc may lower your body's copper levels. Copper is important in the formation of red blood cells. Lean, red meat; poultry; beans; and lentils all provide healthy levels of zinc.

Diet or supplements?

According to the National Institute on Aging, you should look to your diet, rather than supplements, for most of your nutrients. In addition to antioxidants and vitamins, nutrient-dense foods contain many other things that help improve your overall health. Supplements can be harmful in large doses and may not be safe to take with some medications.

However, if you have AMD, it might be helpful to take a formula of supplements called AREDS2. This formula, which was based on the Age-Related Eye Diseases Study (AREDS), contains:

  • Vitamin C.
  • Vitamin E.
  • Lutein.
  • Zeaxanthin.
  • Zinc oxide.
  • Copper oxide.

Studies have shown that this formula can slow the progression of some types of AMD. Before you start taking any supplements, talk with your doctor about the pros and cons.

Learn more ways to keep your eyes healthy in our Eyes health topic center.

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