The Importance of Zinc and Vitamin E for Your Eyesight

You know that you should be eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away, that you shouldn’t be eating those delicious fast food french fries, and that you should be drinking more water than coffee, but did you know that there are also some things that you can be eating for your vision health? Two vitamins and minerals that we encourage our patients at Longwood Eye & LASIK Center to take are zinc and Vitamin E, but why are they so important and where can you naturally find them? Let’s take a closer look.

Zinc

One of the biggest benefits of taking either a zinc supplement or adding more zinc filled foods into your diet is that it has been shown to protect your eyes against macular degeneration and some forms of night blindness. If you would rather eat your zinc, good food sources include seafood, eggs, tofu, oysters, wheat germ, and black-eyed peas. Before you start taking a zinc supplement, make sure to consult with your primary care physician because in some patients they experience adverse side-effects.

Vitamin E

Research suggests that frequent consumption of Vitamin E helps to protect your eyes from age-related macular degeneration and even cataracts in some instances. And, one of the great things about Vitamin E is that it may already be in some of the foods you frequently eat like avocado, nuts, whole wheat cereal, spinach, and more! Similar to zinc, before you start taking a Vitamin E supplement, consult with your doctor about whether or not it’s a good idea for you to take Vitamin E every day.

You are what you eat, and your vision is no exception. If you want to learn more about how you can take better care of your vision health, schedule a consultation at our Longwood Eye & LASIK Center office at  (800) 676-5050.