“Dr. Sears, I feel like an old lady,” said Sandy D.
“I turned 40 just a few years ago and I can’t read the paper without holding it at arm’s length and even then it’s a little fuzzy. I’ve been taking these supplements, but they don’t seem to do anything.“
It didn’t take long to look at the bottle. “This won’t help you.“
You can sharpen your vision and protect your eyes from aging, but you need the right formula.
Here’s the critical point. While most of these vision formulas contain two key ingredients – lutein and zeaxanthin – nearly all of them don’t contain enough.
You need at least 20 mg of lutein and at least one mg of zeaxanthin to make a difference in your eye health. And most eye supplements just aren’t potent enough to do you any good.
Without these nutrients, you wouldn’t be able to see sharp lines, bright colors, focus on your crossword puzzle or drive safely at night. They nourish the macula at the back of your eyes and are essential to vision clarity.
They can even help you fight the strain your eyes get from staring at a computer screen.
There are plenty of fresh foods that you can find in a local farmer’s market that will give your eyes the nutrients they need every day. Here are a few shopping suggestions:
Pick up some dark, leafy vegetables. Spinach, kale, collards and Swiss chard will do the trick. They’re full of lutein.
Eat whole eggs. The yolk provides another natural source of lutein.
Add some color to your meals. Pick a few orange peppers, zucchini and squash. Toss in a few kiwi fruit. All contain zeaxanthin.
In fact, the more colorful your food choices, the better your eye health may be. Consider adding these natural products to your daily diet:
| Benefits of Colorful Fruits and Vegetables | ||
|
Color |
Foods |
Benefits to the Eye |
|
Orange and Yellow |
Pumpkin, squash, yellow peppers, carrots, mango, peaches, apricots |
Lutein & other carotenoids protect eye from sun & age damage. |
|
Red and Pink |
Tomatoes, red peppers, guava, watermelon, grapefruit |
Range of carotenoids and vitamin C, protect eye from free radicals. |
|
Green |
Broccoli, Zucchini, green peppers, spinach, kale, asparagus, other “greens” |
Potent antioxidants prevent age-related damage of the eye. |
|
Blue and Purple |
Purple cabbage, eggplant, plums, cherries, blueberries, grapes |
Anthocyanin, which protects the eye from cancer. |
If you need more help take a vision supplement. Just make sure it has at least 20 mg of lutein and 1 mg of zeaxanthin. I would also recommend bilberry extract – 100 mg, and gingko biloba – 50 mg.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD