Eye Nutrition

Prioritizing Your Eye Health

Your dietary and lifestyle choices play an important role in your overall health and your eye health. At Calgary Trail Vision Centre, we include eye nutrition as part of our comprehensive eye exams to help support your vision and long-term wellness.

Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all. We take the time to understand your lifestyle and provide personalized nutrition advice, including guidance on foods and supplements that support your specific eye health needs.

A well-balanced diet, combined with the right supplementation when needed, can help support conditions such as dry eye disease, macular degeneration, and other common eye concerns.

We strive to understand our patients’ lifestyles and recommend an eye nutrition plan that prioritizes eye health. Contact us to schedule your appointment today and explore eye nutrition with our team.

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A Healthy Diet for Healthy Eyes

Getting essential nutrients through foods like fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats helps support normal eye function and may reduce the risk of certain eye conditions. Nutrition plays a role in maintaining a healthy macular pigment, which supports clear, detailed vision and long-term retinal health.

In some cases, diet alone may not be enough. We may recommend targeted supplements, including Omega-3, to help support tear function, reduce inflammation, and improve overall eye comfort.

Maintaining a Well-Balanced Diet

Your body needs a balanced diet of vitamins and nutrients to perform well, which also applies to your vision. There are different foods and nutrients you can add to your diet that can help keep your body as well as your eyesight healthy.

Vitamin A helps your vision adjust in dim light and keeps your eyes moist. Vitamin A can also help decrease the risk of night blindness and dry eyes.

Vitamin A-rich foods include:

Eggs
Dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese
Oily fish
Liver

Vitamin C functions as an antioxidant and helps your body prevent oxidative stress. Things like fast foods, tobacco smoke, and the sun’s rays can cause an imbalance and reduce how much vitamin C your body gets from food.

Getting enough vitamin C can help minimize the risk of eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Vitamin C-rich foods include:

Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits
Peaches and strawberries
Tomatoes, broccoli, red bell peppers, and potatoes

The retina naturally contains a high amount of fatty acids. Vitamin E helps maintain healthy eyes and protects those fatty acids from oxidative stress. A lack of vitamin E can increase the risk of retinal degeneration and, in extreme cases, blindness.

Vitamin E-rich foods and sources include:

Almonds and sunflower seeds
Plant oils like vegetable, sunflower, and olive oil
Wheat germ
Avocados

Lutein and zeaxanthin are also known as vision-boosting carotenoid antioxidants. These antioxidants can help lower the risk of light-induced oxidative damage from UV and blue light exposure.

Lutein and zeaxanthin-rich foods and sources include:

Leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach
Corn, yellow bell peppers, and yams
Egg yolks
Citrus fruits

Omega-3 fats help with tear function and visual development and contain anti-inflammatory properties. Getting enough Omega-3 in your diet can help improve dry eyes, minimize inflammation, and even prevent or delay vision impairment, particularly in children.

Omega-3 fat-rich foods and sources include:

Salmon, sardines, herring, and cod
Algae
Walnuts

Zinc is another antioxidant that works with vitamin A and produces melanin, which helps block the effects of harmful UV rays and artificial lights. Getting enough zinc in your diet can help decrease the chances of night blindness, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

Zinc-rich foods and sources include:

Beans
Shellfish
Nuts and seeds
Red meat
Dairy products
Whole grains

Preserve Your Long-Term Vision

Nutrition plays a meaningful role in both the prevention and management of common eye conditions. A balanced diet and appropriate supplementation may help support: