Blind Rehabilitation Service (BRS) of the Bay Pines, Florida, VA Health Care System recently distributed valuable information in its Spring 2025 newsletter about diet and maximizing eye health. The focus was on the content of Vitamin A, C, and E in food and how each type of vitamin can impact remaining sight.

Vitamin A, for example, is an essential, trusted source for good vision. It is a component of the protein rhodopsin, which allows the eye to see in low-light conditions. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a deficiency in Vitamin A can lead to night blindness.

Vitamin A also supports the function of the cornea, which is the protective outer layer of the eye. A person who is deficient in Vitamin A may have eyes that produce too little moisture to stay lubricated for very long.

Beta carotene is the primary source of Vitamin A in the human diet. It is a type of plant pigment called a carotenoid that exists in many colorful fruits and vegetables. When a person consumes carotenoids, their body converts the pigments into Vitamin A. The following foods contain Vitamin A: sweet potatoes, carrots, red peppers, pumpkins, and squash.

Vitamin C is known for its many preventive health features, not the least of which is its impact on eye health. A lesser known impact is its protection of the eye against ultraviolet light damage. Although the concentration of Vitamin C in the eyes lessens with age, diet and supplementation can counteract this phenomenon and help the eyes retain their high concentration level.

Vitamin C also helps protect against oxidative damage, a key factor in two of the most common age-related cataracts, cortical cataracts and nuclear cataracts. Cortical cataracts develop on the edges of the lens while nuclear cataracts occur deep in their center. Foods that contain high levels of Vitamin C: oranges and orange juice, broccoli, brussels sprouts, blackberries, and grapefruit juice.

Vitamin E has particularly powerful antioxidant properties, especially when it takes the form of alpha tocopherol. Antioxidants help fight free radicals, which damage tissues throughout the body, including protein tissue within the eye. This damage can result in the development of cloudy areas, known as cataracts, on the lens of the eye. Recent studies have determined that a high intake of Vitamin E, whether through diet or supplementation, may reduce the risk of developing cataracts. The following foods are high in Vitamin E: almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, safflower oil, soybean, corn and wheat germ oil, and asparagus.