Here are some of the best foods you can eat to prevent age-related eye disease as you age.

Eating the right  foods means you can cut down on your chances of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and susceptibility to other eye diseases and damage. Here are some of the best foods you can eat to prevent age-related eye disease as you age.

Beta carotene

Beta carotene is the number one pro-vitamin you can eat for your eyes. This high-octane nutrient helps fight macular degeneration and cataracts as well as supplying your eyes the tools needed to repair themselves. Beta carotene gets converted into vitamin A in the body, which helps assure proper blood-flow is occurring in the eyes—the primary component of good eye health. What makes beta carotene extra great is its wealth of availability in many common foods. Usually known for its orange colour, beta carotene can be found in papaya, sweet potatoes, apricots, carrots, pumpkins and squash as well as in many greens like spinach, kale and collard.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is very important to your eye’s health—which you probably garnered from the above paragraph. Deficiencies in vitamin A have been connected with night-blindness and poor night-vision; higher levels of vitamin A have been known to reduce macular degeneration as well as lens & retina damage. Though not as prolific as beta carotene, vitamin A is available in most leafy greens and can make its way into just about every meal comfortably.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is another great nutrient for your eyes as it works to eliminate free radicals in your body. Free radicals can cause problems wherever they’re found in your body, but in your eyes they’ve been known for their role in executing retinal and corneal degeneration. Eliminating those free radicals is one of the best preventative efforts you can take, especially as you age. Vitamin C, as you probably already know, is found in a wealth of fruits like oranges, kiwi and guava, but is also present in some vegetables like spinach, kale and peppers. Peppers actually have some of the highest concentrations of vitamin C and chilli peppers have about 400% of your daily vitamin C recommended intake.

Zinc

Zinc, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids are also very important foods for your eyes. Zinc is a major component of your eye’s enzyme regulation and helps assure efficiency as well as correcting night-vision problems. Magnesium can help fight against age-related glaucoma and helps regulate blood flow and nerve operation. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods like eggs and salmon, target your blood flow and optimize your circulation. You should also be on the lookout for foods with lutein and zeaxanthan in them as they’ve been called organic sunglasses for their phenomenal ability to block and absorb harmful blue light.

Eating well for your eyes doesn’t mean you have to change your whole diet; chances are you’re already eating many of these foods for their health properties and aren’t even aware of their positive effects for your eyes. But having this knowledge means you’ll be more aware of what foods to target and the benefits and uses of each particular vitamin and/or nutrient.