Best Food for the Eyes

Eating certain types of foods, in addition to getting regular eye exams, can enhance and preserve the health of your eyes. Many of the foods considered beneficial to your eyes contain specific vitamins and minerals that can help ward of eye problems and slow the progression of age-related eye diseases. The American Optometric Association recommends several types of foods that can promote eye health.courtesy:wikihow.com



Green Leafy Vegetables: Green leafy vegetables top the list of best foods for the eyes. These vegetables, along with eggs, contain lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients shown to reduce macular degeneration and cataracts, two age-related eye problems.

Zinc As A Link To Healthy Eyes: Zinc helps in the production of melanin, a protective eye pigment. Zinc is found in dairy products, such as yogurt, as well as meats, whole grains and beans.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found most commonly in fish, including salmon, and fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in visual development and retinal function. Best Health Magazine reports that these acids may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Foods Rich In Vitamin E: To protect eyes from damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules that can impact healthy tissue), your diet should include foods rich in vitamin E, such as sweet potatoes, nuts (almonds are a good source) and fortified cereals.

Carrots And Eyesight: Fact Or Fiction: Will people--and rabbits--have better eyesight if they eat carrots? It's possible, says Dr. Amy Chow, O.D. Carrots contain beta carotene, which the liver turns into vitamin A that is then absorbed by retinal cells that enable you to see.

Certain Foods:

> Carrot
> Spinach
> Almonds
> Raspberries
> Salmon
> Broccoli

Increase Eye Power

If you suffer from eye problems, then it may please you to know that there are a variety of ways to strengthen your eyes, improve your vision and prevent age-related vision disorders. The function of our eyes can be damaged through continued strain and overwork, in addition to poor nutrition and environmental conditions. Restoring proper vision takes a long time for some people, but education and action can go a long way to restoring damaged or weak eyes.courtesy:ehow.com



Instructions

Train the ciliary muscles to become stronger and avoid short-sightedness by looking away at distant objects. When sitting down at work or studying, set a timer to go off every 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, take this opportunity to look at something at least 10 feet away from you. After a few minutes, return to work and continue practicing this visual exercise every 10 minutes.

Sit down somewhere comfortable and rest your elbows on either a table or on your knees. Place the cups of your palms over your eyes and while keeping all light out, allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness for up to 2 minutes. Slowly remove your hands away from your eyes and give yourself time to adjust to the increase in light. This exercise helps strengthen the eyes and reduces eye strain.

Stop using a night light for reading in bed. Reading in poorly lit conditions causes excessive stress on the eyes. In a study published in the scientific journal "Nature" in 1999, researcher Graham E. Quinn and colleagues found children who read at night were much more at risk for vision problems than those who read in the early morning. Reading should always be performed in well-lit conditions, and children should restrict their reading to before 8 p.m.

Take a supplement to supply the eye with required nutrients. In a study published in 2010, researcher F. Schweigert and colleagues found omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidants lutein and zeathanthin were effective in supporting eye health and possibly preventing age-related macular degeneration. F. Schweigert, the author of the study, recommends taking these nutrients as supplements to gain clinically significant dosages. Vitamin A, B12 and C also are required for proper functioning of the eyes and can be taken either as a supplement or through the diet.

Take herbal remedies for supporting eye health. According to Kerry Bone, author of "The Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs," herbs that strengthen the eyes and improve vision include gingko, bilberry and eyebright. Bilberry in particular has been shown to increase the microcirculation of the eye and to prevent age-related diseases of the eyes. In a study published in "Advances in Gerontology" in 2005, researcher Anzhela Fursova and colleagues found bilberry was effective in preventing macular degeneration and cataracts in animals.