Ways For Natural Eye Care

A friend of mine recently let his contacts stay in their antibacterial pool longer than usual and embraced his new pair of glasses like a long lost friend. After complimenting him on his new purchase, I tried them on only to hear him tell me not to look through the lenses because he was “blind as a bat” and my eyes would end up in pain. Aside from thinking I should have my own eyes checked after almost a decade, I also wondered if there were any natural ways to keep my eyes healthy.

Carrots have long been thought of as an old wives tale of chomping on good-for-you vegetables masquerading as cures, but there is merit to the humble carrot. Carrots contain beta-carotene which is transformed into vitamin A by the body. Sure excess amounts of vitamin A may not ensure 20/20 vision, but it can help you maintain good eyesight. You can also get vitamin A from liver, broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mango, apricots, and cantaloupe, but carrots are best known for helping the eyes.

Beta-carotene isn’t the only compound found in carrots that is helpful—an antioxidant called lutein that primarily works with another component called zeaxanthin—and eating foods rich in these nutrients can increase the pigment density in the macula and added protection for your retina. Most of the foods with both of these nutrients are of the green and leafy variety.

As we age, our eyes get weaker and while over half of all Americans over 80 years of age have cataracts, over 13 million Americans are suffering from macular degeneration. The macula, part of the eye that helps keep the cones and rods in proper working order, has been under the microscope lately because a new study has linked vitamin B supplements to helping those with age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a widespread disease that attacks the area central to the retina and is a leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50.

A deficiency in vitamin A can also cause vision loss. Professor of Nutrition at Ohio State University, John Allred, says that extreme deficiency can cause night blindness and can even cause complete blindness, and is the leading cause of blindness in the third world alone. However, Allred says, if you are not deficient, drinking carrot juice every day or other beta-carotine enhanced veggies won’t improve your vision, only maintain it…and cause your skin to turn orange.

Beta-carotene, besides being broken down as a helpful vitamin within the body, is also a pigment. Experts say not to worry because even though the skin might appear to have an orange tint, it is completely harmless. If you cut back on the orange foods or drinks or consult your doctor to make sure your diet is balanced correctly, the tint will eventually lessen and go away and the excess of beta-carotene in your system will flush itself out. If you would rather not risk getting your vitamin A-carrying beta-carotene through orange tinted foods, most multi-vitamins include the nutrient for a quick source and readily available.

Unfortunately I did not find any helpful hints to share with my sight-challenged friend; I was pleased to find out that the urging of mothers everywhere to “eat your carrots” was not all a ruse. While I am still thinking of making an eye appointment and I am not 100 percent sure that my weekly carrot cake cravings are actually helping to keep my eyesight on a steady plateau, my eyes haven’t failed me yet and as long as my multi-vitamin can help me out, I will not worry about my eyes for now.