Eye health and vision aren’t something we think of right away when someone mentions self-care and a healthy lifestyle. This especially applies to those at a younger age.
And, truth is, many take healthy eyes and good vision for granted. But, when issues start rolling in, you cannot simply start eating a lot of carrots and call it a day. Your eyes, their health, and a healthy vision need a lot more work than you may think.
That is where eye supplements come in handy. These supplements often contain many vitamins and minerals essential for keeping your eyes healthy. And, if you’re looking to get yourself some supplements, you’re in the right place.
In the following paragraphs we’ll take a look at the science behind these supplements, and which ones are worthy of your money, So, let’s get started!
Eye Supplements – Explained
The Role Of Vitamins And Minerals In Eye Health
Vitamins, also known as micronutrients, are essential for the proper formation of the eye, eye health, and vision. Deficiency of any vitamins essential for eye health can lead to numerous retina and lens issues, vision deterioration, and overall deterioration of the eye and its function.
For better understanding, here’s a list of vitamins and minerals essential for eye health, and their roles in proper eye function;
Essential Vitamins
- Vitamin A – essential in the formation of the retinal photoreceptor pigments. Its deficiency leads to defective night vision.
- Vitamin C – essential for the lens. It is secreted into the aqueous humor, which is a clear, alkaline liquid that can be found in the space in front of the iris of the eye, the lens, and the ringlike space around the lens. The liquid provides oxygen and nutrients to the eye tissues that lack blood supply.
- Vitamin E – essential for the protection of the eye cells. It protects the cells from any damage that could be caused by free radicals (harmful, unstable molecules). It also plays an important role as a potential treatment for AMD, or age-related macular degeneration and maculopathy.
- Vitamins B6, B9, and B12 – essential for overall eye health and the prevention of AMD and maculopathy. These vitamins decrease inflammation in the eye by lowering the levels of homocysteine (a protein that causes inflammation and increases the risk of maculopathy and AMD).
- Niacin – essential for decreasing the risk of glaucoma (damage of the optic nerve of the eye). However, since only observational and animal studies are available, more research is needed to provide a direct correlation between low levels of niacin and glaucoma.
- Lutein and Zeaxanthin – essential for eye protection in regards to harmful blue light. Both can be found in the macula and retina of the eyes and can play an important role in cataract and AMD/maculopathy prevention.
Essential Minerals
- Zinc – essential for the metabolism of the retina and the lens of the eye. It interacts with vitamin A in the generation of the visual pigments of the retina. Its deficiency can lead to night blindness, even in the presence of adequate levels of vitamin A.
- Selenium – essential for the regulation of oxidative stress in the cornea (the transparent part of the eye that covers the pupil, iris, and the anterior chamber or the fluid filled inside the eye). It also protects the lens of the eye and helps preserve eyesight.
Other essential minerals include magnesium, manganese, copper, chromium, and potassium. However, the role of these minerals in eye health is not yet well understood. More research is needed for a better understanding.
The Science Behind The Supplements
It is important to say that, even though eye supplements contain the majority, if not all of the above-mentioned vitamins and minerals, there is still NOT ENOUGH research proving they have any positive effects on eye health.
The only case where eye supplements are medically recommended is the case of age-related eye disease.
The studies for these diseases, also known as Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2) show age-related macular degeneration (AMD), maculopathy, and cataracts improved during the supplement intake.
One particular study focused on participants taking 4 supplement formulations, which have been identified as beneficial during the AREDS2 study. The results showed a reduction of vision loss by almost 25% over 6 years.
However, the supplements showed effectiveness in the starting stages of the disease; they were not effective in advanced stages, nor even in people with mild cases of AMD.
So, according to the AREDS2 research done over the 7 years, the recommendation of the type and the dose of eye supplements is the following;
- Vitamin C – 500mg
- Vitamin E – 400IU
- Zinc – 80mg
- Lutein – 10mg
- Zeaxanthin – 2mg
- Copper – 2mg (to prevent copper deficiency caused by zinc)
Our 4 Picks of Best Eye Supplements
1. Physician’s Choice Eye Health Supplements AREDS2 Formula
One of the best ways you can take care of your eye health is by taking the Physician’s Choice eye health supplements.
Product Highlights
- Reduces eye-strain headaches
- Improves visual processing speed
- Slows age-related vision loss
- Improves protection against harmful blue light
- Award-winning Lutemax 2020
- AREDS2 Study based ingredients
- Clinically tested and proven
This supplement formula contains the key ingredients, minerals, and vitamins, which are in accordance with the AREDS2 study.
The ingredients work together to improve the overall eye health, preserve vision, reduce eye-strain-related headaches, and improve the visual processing speed.
You’re supposed to take two capsules once a day, with water of course. The capsules are a reasonable size and they’re easy to swallow, which is important, especially for the elderly or sick.
- Price – for a bottle of 60 capsules, you’ll have to pay $19.96, which is a reasonable and quite competitive price.
2. Performance Lab Vision Eye Supplements
If you want to improve your vision and long-range eye health, then make sure to check out the Performance Lab Vision supplements.
Product Highlights
- Helps reduce vision-impairing effects of glare
- Fights macula-damaging effects of blue light rays
- Improves high-speed visual processing
- Improves motion detection and night vision
- Contains ingredients like lutein and zeaxanthin
- Capsules made from fermented tapioca for easy digestion
- Capsules easy to swallow
These supplements will give you the best nutritional protection from harmful blue lights, screen-induced vision strain, and other defense-decreasing factors.
The ingredients, like lutein and zeaxanthin, will take care of the macula and help form the macular pigment, which is the protective layer that coats the retina.
Furthermore, the ingredients in the supplement will promote eyesight functions like visual acuity, glare recovery, contrast sensitivity, etc.
The capsules are made from fermented tapioca, so they’re easy to swallow, digest and dissolve in the stomach. You should take 1 or 2 pills once a day, during the first meal of the day.
- Price – for the price of $117, you’ll get a 3-month supply (3 bottles x 30 capsules), + one free box. A 1-month supply box will cost you $39.
3. Quantum Nutrition Labs Eye Support
Another exceptional eye supplement product is the Eye Support from Quantum Nutrition Labs.
Product Highlights
- Supports total retina health
- Improves photoreceptor health and macula
- Promotes the density of macular pigment
- Contains ingredients like lutein and zeaxanthin
- Helps with early macular degeneration
- Capsules are plant-based
- Capsules easy to swallow
These supplements are designed to focus on improving the health of the retina, photoreceptor cells, and macula.
Such effects are achieved thanks to the ingredients like lutein and zeaxanthin, which help the optimal retina use and health, as well as the overall health of the macula. Other ingredients include organic bilberry, tomato, turmeric, spinach, carrots, etc.
All of them are supposed to provide full-spectrum nutritional support for your eye. You’re supposed to take 2 capsules daily, with water and during the first meal.
- Price – for the box of 60 capsules or a 1-month supply, you’ll pay $29, which is in the range of affordable and reasonable-priced eye supplements.
4. 1MD Vision MD Eye Support
And last, but not least for our top picks is the 1MD Eye Support supplements. Now, these supplements are miracle wonders.
Product Highlights
- Boost eye health
- Promotes proper visual activity
- Promotes healthy brain function
- Improves contrast sensitivity
- Reduces eye strain-related fatigue
- Improves visual processing speed
- AREDS Study formula ingredients
- Clinically proven and tested
- Capsules easy to swallow
They’re created to target all the possible issues related to eye health, from visual activity, strain-related fatigue, visual processing speed, to issues with double or blurred vision, damage to the retina and macula, etc.
The supplements are made using the AREDS study formula ingredients, which are clinically tested and proven to work in promoting and boosting eye health.
Among ingredients, there are vitamin E, lutein, meso-zeaxanthin, alpha- and beta-carotenes, and much more. All of these ingredients work together to prevent eye and vision damage and improve the recovery of the physical damage or damage in vision.
You should take 1 capsule during the day, with water, and during a meal. The capsules are vegan and easy to swallow, so they’re ideal for those with swallowing issues, sickness, or disability.
- Price – for the box of 30 supplement capsules or a 1-month supply, you’ll pay $45, which is a price that puts this product among the more expensive eye supplements.
Final Thoughts
Before you decide to purchase any of the recommended eye supplements, we firstly recommend you talk to your ophthalmologist or eye specialist.
The doctor will help you determine what exact issues you’re experiencing and whether eye supplements can help you improve the symptoms.
Buying supplements without professional consultation might cause you more eye problems, so it is always best to talk to a doctor and act according to their recommendations.
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