“The Importance of Vitamins for Eye Health and Preventing Macular Degeneration and Cataracts”

As we age, the eyes become more prone to damage caused by an unhealthy lifestyle and an overactive immune system, which causes the body to flood with defense cells and hormones that affect the eyes.

How can certain vitamins keep eyes young and functional into old age? A study found that poor nutrition is a major risk factor for age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

The good news is that you can eat foods that contain vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc to significantly reduce your risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. Or you can go for a simpler option like Vedixin Maxa dietary supplement specially designed to protect and improve vision.

The most important vitamins for eye health

Vitamin A (beta caroten)

According to experts, people need to get enough vitamin A to prevent xerophthalmia and night blindness.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant and has been shown to prevent vision loss from degenerative conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration. In addition, studies show that vitamin A, along with other antioxidants, helps slow the progression of neuropathy (nerve damage) – including diabetic neuropathy.

lutein

Also called the “eye vitamin”, lutein is an antioxidant that protects both eyes and skin. This carotenoid and anti-inflammatory phytonutrient is found in foods such as green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, citrus fruits and orange vegetables. After being ingested, lutein is transported throughout the body, especially to two component parts of the eyes, the macula and the lens.

Harvard University researchers found that taking 6 milligrams of lutein supplements daily can reduce the risk of macular degeneration by an average of 43 percent, proving that lutein is well-deserved as the “eye vitamin.”

Zeaxanthin

There are over 600 different types of carotenoids found in nature, but only about 20 reach the eye to support vision. Lutein and zeaxanthin are the most important because these two end up in the largest amounts in the delicate macula of the eyes. Like lutein, zeaxanthin helps protect eye tissue, the lens, and the macula, which improves vision and prevents light sensitivity or disorders like cataracts.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that not only fights viruses that cause colds – it also helps protect vision by fighting free radicals. In addition, it helps the body absorb more minerals and nutrients in general.

A long-term study of 3,000 adults (aged 43 to 86) found that people who took multivitamins with vitamin E and vitamin C had a 60% lower risk of to develop cataracts.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E, vitamin A and vitamin C work together to keep cells and tissues strong and protected from the effects of inflammation. These fat-soluble antioxidants lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Additionally, taking a significant amount of vitamin E and vitamin A together has been shown to help heal faster and improve vision in people undergoing laser eye surgery.

Some studies have found that people have about a 25% lower risk of developing advanced stages of macular degeneration when they consume at least 400 international units of vitamin E daily, especially when taken with vitamin A (as of beta-carotene), vitamin C and zinc. A 2008 study of 35,000 adults found that those with the highest levels of lutein and vitamin E had a significantly lower relative risk of developing cataracts than those with the lowest levels.

B complex vitamins

Researchers have also studied the effects that certain B vitamins, especially vitamins B6, B9, and B12, may have on eye health.

This combination of vitamins can reduce levels of homocysteine, a protein in the body that can cause inflammation and an increased risk of developing macular degeneration.

A clinical study showed that taking 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 together with vitamins B6 and B9 can reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration by 34%.

However, more research is needed to confirm the benefits of these supplements. In addition, it is not clear whether a higher intake of foods rich in B vitamins would have similar effects.

Zinc

Studies have found that zinc in combination with other vitamins helps protect the retina and reduce the risk of macular degeneration. Zinc is one of the most important nutrients that helps absorb nutrients (it is involved in over 100 metabolic processes), supports the proper elimination of waste from the body, and fights inflammation and cellular damage.

Zinc is beneficial to eye tissues because it plays a critical role in proper cell division and cell development, maintaining healthy circulation, balancing hormone levels that prevent autoimmune reactions, and controlling inflammatory cytokines that attack tissues. The human body does not synthesize the zinc it needs, so this nutrient must be obtained from sources such as fish, grass-fed meat, organ meats and nuts.