Driving, reading, watching your favorite sports event or movies, gazing into the eyes of your loved ones, even walking across the street and shopping -- these and countless other daily activities and pleasures depend upon vision, our dominant sense. As we age, free-radical damage takes its toll on our eyes. While a certain level of free-radical damage to your eyes is unavoidable, appropriate diet and nutritional supplementation can reduce this damage and help support healthy eyes.
Diet
For healthy eyes your diet must include key nutrients and antioxidants so that it may aid your vision. First ask yourself, what types of foods should I look for with the essential vitamins for eyes?
Remember to eat foods that boost vision. Start by emphasizing foods that contain carotenoids, which are highly nutritious chemical compounds found in many fruits and vegetables. Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid; it helps the retina's health. Zeaxanthin protects and fights the oxidative stress in the lens of the eyes. Lutein is another carotenoid; it helps the eyes easily recover from nighttime glare. Make sure however that you acquire “lutein” and not “lutein ester,” since lutein ester isn't purified.
Your best choices for getting powerful carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin are found in spinach and other green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and other brightly colored fruits, grapes (seeds and all), red and yellow onions, and the beverage green tea.
Another antioxidant which is also as powerful as lutein and zeaxanthin is astaxanthin. Astaxanthin helps protect the cell membranes of the eyes and helps destroy free radicals that cause damage to the cells of the eyes. Astaxanthin is found in trout, salmon, shrimp, crayfish, lobster, yeast and other crustaceans.
Black currant the cousin of blueberries and cranberries help improve night vision. Black currant also helps healthy blood circulation for the eyes. Black currant contains anthocyanosides and other flavonoids to help improve circulation for the eyes.
A balanced diet with supplementation of astaxanthin, black currant, lutein and zeaxanthin may improve night vision as well put an end to dry, tired eyes.
Exercise
One of the best ways to reduce stress and strain on the eyes, improve the flexibility and strength of the eye muscles, and, in some cases, actually improve visual acuity is to do eye specific exercises. Below are just a few of my top recommended eye exercises.
More exercise recommendations.
Nutrients
Advanced nourishment and protection for the lifelong health of your eyes is available in Dr. Whitaker's top vision recommendation, Vision Essentials.
More information on Vision Essentials.