Our eyes are one of the most complex organs in our body, with about 2 million working parts. They can see 30 to 60 frames per second, and our brains can process the complete images in about 13 milliseconds. To operate with such high precision and speed, every component of our eye needs to be healthy. However, it is uncommon for individuals to pay specific attention to their eye health unless they’re facing an issue.

Six essential vitamins for maintaining eye health
Consuming enough vitamins as part of your daily meal plan benefits your eye and overall health. If you have recently been diagnosed with an eye condition and started increasing the number of vitamins in your food, you may not see a dramatic or sudden improvement in your vision. Having a healthy and nutritious food regime from an early age can ensure that you can maintain your eye health as you age and prevent age-related eye diseases. While our health depends on a range of vitamins, nutrients and minerals, vitamins are more important for eye health. The six essential vitamins for maintaining eye health include:

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an essential vitamin for eye health. Also known as retinol, vitamin A is a part of rhodopsin, a protein found in the retina. It aids in maintaining a clear cornea and can also help strengthen the retina, help overall immunity, and prevent eye infections. Regular and long-term consumption of vitamin A can help prevent night blindness, dry eyes, soft cornea, dry tear ducts, and xerophthalmia. The prevalence of vitamin A-related eye diseases is rare in the country as the nutrient is available in food items consumed daily, like fish, eggs, milk, broccoli, eggs, and orange-colored vegetables and fruits.

Vitamin B1
Vitamin B helps proper cell function and is crucial in converting food into energy. Vitamin B can reduce eye sensitivity and delay the development of cataracts. It is crucial for people with diabetes as it can prevent retinopathy; diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of vision loss among people with diabetes. Whole grains, macadamia nuts, pork, tea, coffee, shellfish, rice and fish are important sources of vitamin B1.

Vitamin B2
Vitamin B2, popularly known as riboflavin, is an antioxidant that can help combat oxidative stress in the eye. It can help reduce eye sensitivity and help recover from sore or tired eyes. It can also prevent the quick progression of cataracts and protect the lens from damage. Asparagus, bananas, oranges, nuts, peas, mushrooms, and whole grains are good plant-based sources of vitamin B2. Other main sources of vitamin B2 are cheese, eggs, beef, and organ meat.

Vitamin B3
Niacin, or vitamin B3, is an antioxidant and helps convert food to energy. It helps in preventing any damage to the optic nerve, thus helping avoid glaucoma. It is also crucial to reduce eye pressure. Important food sources of vitamin B3 are red meat, poultry, and fish. Plant-based sources of the nutrient include avocados, green peas, mushrooms, potatoes and bananas. Excessive consumption of B3 can lead to inflammation of the eye, blurred vision, and damage to the macula. Do not take vitamins and supplements without talking to your doctor about the ideal dosage of vitamin B3.  

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is crucial for producing collagen, which helps maintain the form and structure of the cornea and sclera. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects our eyes from any damage caused by free radicals, and can help delay the progress of age-related eye diseases. You can benefit from having the vitamin in combination with other vitamins and essential nutrients. Black currants, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, oranges, strawberries and  potatoes are certain main sources of vitamin C in addition to citrus fruits.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant crucial in maintaining eye health and gradually improving vision. It is best suited to prevent age-related eye diseases and protect the eye from damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin E can also help reduce and prevent dark circles around the eyes. Many fruits and vegetables, including avocado, mango, olives, and kiwi, are rich sources of vitamin E. Abalones, salmon, trouts, fish roe, cod, and lobster are also rich in the nutrient. Other sources to consider include almonds, peanuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, and oils like sunflower, wheatgerm, and almond oils.   

Note that if you want to take supplements for any of the above vitamins, always consult a doctor to know the appropriate dosage. Excess consumption of vitamins can also cause side effects like flatulence and diarrhea and put you at risk for weak bones and fractures. 

Common eye diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies
It is also that vitamin deficiency can directly lead to certain specific eye diseases. Night blindness, dry eyes, clouded vision and a soft cornea can happen if your body does not get adequate vitamin A.  Vitamin A deficiencies can also happen as a side effect of surgery or treatment. In such cases, doctors prescribe supplements to restore the vitamin requirements quickly. Vitamin B deficiency can lead to anemia, and vitamin D deficiency may accelerate AMD.

Treatment for eye diseases

A vitamin-rich food regime alone cannot cure eye disease. It can help to prevent and delay the progression of cataracts and glaucoma. Doctors decide on treatment based on the severity of the disease, the speed at which the disease progresses,  a patient’s age, and overall health condition. Doctors use many painless and quick surgical and non-invasive techniques to screen and detect eye diseases. Given below are some common solutions and approaches to treating eye diseases:

Corrective glasses or contact lenses as a conventional treatment for refractive errors like short sight, long sight and astigmatism
Vision aids for people with partial vision
Oral and injectable prescription treatments, eye ointments and creams to treat redness, swelling, or itchiness caused by infection or injury
Vision therapy for cross-eye Tear duct plugs that prevent drainage of tears
Eye drops or artificial tears to maintain moisture levels in the eye’s outer surface if one if suffering from dry eye syndrome
Lipiflow, which is a procedure that uses heat and pressure to manage dry eyes
Prescription eye drops restore oil levels and manage symptoms of allergies
Eye injections to prevent the formation of leaky blood vessels
LASIK to correct refractive error
Laser treatments to destroy faulty and abnormal blood vessels
Photodynamic therapy
Surgery to treat cataracts