Eye Nutrition


Cataracts and age-related macular degeneration are the leading causes of visual impairment and acquired blindness in the U.S.

  • Approximately 10 million Americans suffer from early signs of Macular Degeneration. Macular Degeneration results in loss of vision at the very center of vision.
  • Cataract extractions account for more than 2 million procedures a year. Cataracts cause dark, blurry vision, and eventually blindness.

Veggies battle blue light damage


Nutrition is one promising means of protecting the eyes from both of these diseases.

Vitamin C (mg/serving)T
Try to eat 250 mg per day for therapeutic effect.

Most fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C.

Food

Amount

Vitamin C
mg

Orange juice, fresh squeezed

1 cup

124

Grapefruit juice, fresh squeezed

1 cup

94

Papaya

1/2 medium

94

Cantaloupe

1/4 melon

86

Orange

1 medium

80

Green peppers, raw chopped

1/2 cup

67

Tomato juice

1 cup

44

Strawberries

1/2 cup

43

Broccoli, raw chopped

1/2 cup

41

Grapefruit

1/2 medium

40

Vitamin E (mg/serving)
Try to get 100 IU per day. It’s hard to get enough with diet alone. You may need to take a supplement.

Vitamin E is found in foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.

Food

Amount

Vitamin E

Almonds

1/4 cup

9.3 (13.9 IU)

Sunflower seeds

1/4 cup

5.8 (8.7 IU)

Safflower oil

1 tbsp

4.7 (7.0 IU)

Peanuts

1/4 cup

3.3 (4.9 IU)

Peanut butter

2 tbsp

3.2 (4.8 IU)

Corn oil

1 tbsp

2.8 (4.2 IU)

Lutein and Zeaxanthin (mg/serving)
Need 6 mg per day. You may need a supplement.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are found together in dark green leafy vegetables, and are also present in lesser amounts in other colorful fruits and vegetables.

Food/Serving
(1 cup)

Lutein and
Zeaxanthin
Lutein Zeaxanthin
mg

Kale

20.5 – 26.5* 1.1 – 2.2*

Collard greens

15.3 5.1

Spinach

3.6 – 12.6* 1.7 – 13.3* 0.5 – 5.9*

Turnip greens

12.1 0.4

Broccoli

2.1 – 3.5* 1.4 – 1.6*

Corn, yellow

1.4 – 3.0 0.6 0.9

Peas, green

2.3 2.2

Orange pepper

1.7

Persimmons

1.4 0.8

Tangerine

0.5 0.2

For more info click on the American Optometric Site below:

Caring For Your Vision


Macular Degeneration looks like this.



Cataracts look like this: