Natural Ingredients That Support Great Eyesight

There are a number of factors that impact the health of the eyes. To protect your vision and ensure your eyes are as healthy as they can be, it's a good idea to start by taking in natural ingredients. Eating a nutritious balanced diet is a great first step to supporting great eyesight, but there are also a number of supplements to try.

Quercetin

Quercetin is a flavonol found in a number of foods like fruits and vegetables. A flavonol is a plant pigment, so it's found especially in fruits and vegetables that are deep in color. Flavanols like quercetin are anti-inflammatory antioxidants that help fight free radical damage. Quercetin helps guard against age-related decline in the eyes. You can get quercetin through a balanced diet of colorful foods like berries and leafy greens.

Bilberry

Related to the blueberry, the bilberry is an edible berry with a very dark blue color, almost black. Bilberries are hard to grow and are only found in certain parts of the world. Bilberry is an antioxidant-rich food that fights free radical damage. It has been shown to improve nighttime vision and help treat macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. Because it is hard to access in its natural form, supplementing with bilberry extract is the best way to capitalize on its vision-protective properties.

Grape Seed

Like bilberry, grape seed can improve night vision and help treat macular degeneration. Grape seed protects eye health due to its concentration of antioxidants, vitamin E, flavonoids, and linolenic acid. Supplementing with grape seed extract is the best way to take advantage of this natural ingredient, though eating grapes can't hurt.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral that is vital for healthy eyesight, in part because the retina contains a lot of zinc. Zinc can also help protect against age-related vision declines. This is in part because of the way that zinc combines with vitamin A to create melanin, something that helps protect the eye. Zinc is found in foods like oysters and beef, but supplementing is another way to ensure you get enough of this vital mineral.

Vitamin A

You've probably heard that carrots are good for your eyes and that is because they have a lot of vitamin A. This vitamin helps prevent and treat dry eye, macular degeneration, and cataracts. It also helps protect the surface of the eye from viruses and bacteria. It works with zinc to create melanin. Supplementing with vitamin A can help keep your eyes healthy but many foods are also rich in the vitamin including carrots, sweet potato, kale, and beef liver.

Lutein

Lutein is a pigment known as a carotenoid that is found in many foods like leafy greens and eggs. It's also available as a supplement. Lutein is important to eye health because it is found in high concentrations in the macula. It is a natural antioxidant that fights free radical damage. It also helps block light from damaging the eye.

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