Avoid Blindness: The Ultimate Diet for Healthy Eyes

When I was a teen, my cousin once took me to an optical store and bought herself a pair of fancy eyeglasses. She did not have any eye problems, and when I asked her why she did it, she said that eyeglasses were trendy. I thought she was right until I grew up and realized eyeglasses were only fashionable for geeks. They were a big hassle, especially for an outdoorsy person like me. One day I had to get my eye tested and the opthalmologist told me that my vision wasn't perfect, and eyeglasses were recommended. I resisted it, because I could still see well. Every year since then, whenever I went to the doctor, I would be told to wear eyeglasses. Up to this day, I never wanted any. I knew there were ways to improve my vision through correct diet and eye exercise. This article is written with such a goal in mind.

No one wants to experience blindness. We may all not have been given perfect eyes since we were born, but there are ways to rectify our nature. Most causes of bad vision are poor diet and a lack of knowledge on how to take care of the eyes. For example, most of us spend too much time with our eyes in front of the computer without realizing that this could cause vision deterioration in the long run. By then, it's too late to remedy the situation, and many end up wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses or worse, getting blind.

Before it's too late, consider this list of foods which can help you improve your vision:

*Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, cream, margarine), meat, eggs, cheese, green and yellow vegetables (spinach, carrots, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkins) and orange fruits (papaya, mangoes). These foods are rich in Vitamin A. According to nutritionists, Vitamin A is an important component in the eye and a deficiency is the major cause of blindness.

*Wheatgerm, wholegrain cereals, brewer's yeast, yeast extract. Problems with light sensitivity and cataracts are usually caused by a lack of vitamin B complex, which is present in all these foods.

*Citrus fruits, potatoes, green vegetables, tomatoes. If you like eating oranges and foods rich in Vitamin C, there is less likelihood for you to develop glaucoma and cataracts. If you're not getting enough Vitamin C in a day, consider taking supplements.

*Shellfish, red meats, eggs, nuts and seeds, liver, sardines. The "retina" is a part of the eye that without a proper amount of Zinc in the body, would cause macular degeneration. These foods provide an excellent source of Zinc.

*Fish, sesame and sunflower seeds, wholegrain cereals. Due to age, our eyes naturally lose their ability to see well. But eating these foods which contain Selenium will prevent the onset of such a problem in early age.

Other than taking these eye-healthy foods, opthalmologists also recommend doing eye exercises to help improve your vision. There is a great resource of eye exercises online for you to try out. This, along with a discipline to stick to a nutritious diet, will help prevent poor vision or even blindness in the future.

Credits: Yale.edu