Supplements Improve Eye Health and Vision

You’ve probably heard someone say, “Eat your carrots, they’re good for your eyes.” You may have also seen advertisements for nutritional supplements for eye health. Can vitamins and minerals benefit your eye health and vision? Keep reading to learn more about supplements and eye health.

Plenty of claims are made about the positive effects of supplements on vision and eye health, but very few research studies support these claims. One exception is the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2). These are large studies conducted by the National Eye Institute. Results from AREDS 2 took what was learned from AREDS and improved the supplement recommendations. The studies focused on two conditions that affect millions of Americans, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. It affects more than 10 million people. It’s mainly associated with aging, but some forms of macular degeneration affect younger people as well.

AMD occurs when there’s deterioration of light-sensitive cells in the macula area of the retina. This is the part of the eye responsible for:

• recording what we see and sending the information to our brains
• seeing fine detail
• focusing

Cataracts

Cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye. It may impair your ability to see well enough to perform daily tasks and can become worse over time. Cataracts are extremely common, particularly among older adults. In 2010, 24.4 million Americans were diagnosed with cataracts.

What supplements may help eye health?

1. Lutein and zeaxanthin

Lutein and Zeaxanthin are carotenoids. Carotenoids are pigments found in plants and in your retina. Supplementing these pigments helps increase their density in your retina. They also absorb high-energy blue and ultraviolet light that can damage your eyes. Some people have tears with a high fat, or lipid, content. This may interfere with the even spread of liquid across the eye, leaving dry patches which become sore, irritated and cause the eye to produce more tears.

2. Zinc

Also found naturally in your eyes, zinc is a powerful antioxidant that protects against cell damage. Zinc is the primary mineral in the AREDS2 formulation. When taking zinc, copper absorption is lessened. It’s recommended that zinc be combined with copper supplements.

3. Vitamin B1 (thiamine)

Vitamin B1 is essential for the health of your eyes. There’s evidence that vitamin B1, taken with other vitamins, may reduce your risk of getting cataracts, but more research is needed. Known as one of the “anti-stress” B vitamins, vitamin B1 reduces inflammation. Initial research Trusted Source also indicates that it may be an effective for treating uveitis, an inflammatory eye condition that can lead to blindness.

Media Contact:
Sarah Rose
Journal Manager Journal of Eye Diseases and Disorders
Email: eyedisorders@emedsci.com
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