Raw Red Peppers
Pepper Pepper to give you more vitamin C than each calorie. That’s good for the blood vessels in your eyes, and science suggests that it can reduce your risk of getting cataract. It is found in many vegetables and fruits, including bok choy, cauliflower, papayas and strawberries. The heat will break down vitamin C, so go green when you can. Brightly colored peppers also packed vitamins A and E that work with the eyes.
Sunflower Seeds and Nuts
An ounce of these seeds or almonds is a fraction of the amount of vitamin E USDA recommends for adults each day. Extensive research has found that vitamin E, along with other nutrients, can help reduce age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It can also help prevent cataract. Hazelnuts, peanuts (actually whole grains), and peanut butter are also good sources of vitamin E.
Dark, Leafy Greens
Kale, spinach and collard greens, for example, are rich in both vitamins C and E. They contain carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These plant-based vitamin A forms reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including AMD and cataract. Most people who eat Western food do not get enough.
Salmon
Your retina needs two types of omega-3 fatty acids to function properly: DHA and EPA. You can find both in oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, and trout, as well as other seafood. Omega-3s also appear to protect your eyes from AMD and glaucoma. Low levels of this fatty acid are linked to dry eyes.
Sweet Potatoes
Orange fruits and vegetables - such as potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, mangos, and apricots - are high in beta-carotene, a type of vitamin A that helps with night vision, the ability of your eyes to adapt to the dark. One sweet potato is also more than half the amount of vitamin C you need per day and a little vitamin E.
Lean Meat and Poultry
Zinc delivers vitamin A from the liver to your retina, where it is used to make a protective pigment melanin. Oysters have more zinc in the diet than any other food, but you don't have to be a shellfish lover to get enough: Beef, pork, and chicken (both black and white meat) are all good sources.
Beans and Legumes
Prefer vegetable option, low fat, have high fiber to help keep your vision sharp at night and reduce AMD? Chickens are also rich in zinc, such as black-eyed peas, kidney beans, and lentils. A can of baked beans will also do the job.
Eggs
It is an excellent component of the package: Zinc in the egg will help your body absorb lutein and zeaxanthin from its skin. The yellow and orange color of these compounds blocks blue light from damaging your retina. They help increase the amount of protective pigment in the macula, the part of your eye that controls visual acuity.
Squash
Your body cannot make lutein and zeaxanthin, but you can get it from squash all year round. Summer squash also contains vitamin C and zinc. The winter variety will give you vitamins A and C and omega-3 fatty acids, too.
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts
These related vegetables come with another winning combination of nutrients: vitamin A (such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene), vitamin C, and vitamin E. All antioxidants protect your eye cells from free radicals, a type of unstable molecule that destroys healthy tissue . Your retina is very vulnerable.
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