You may have heard that carrots improve your vision, but is this the truth? Optometrists will tell you that carrots can't save you from needing eye glasses. However, they are rich in beta-carotene, a vitamin that is beneficial for your eye health and therefore consuming foods rich in this vitamin is clearly recommended for maintaining eye health.
Beta-carotene is an orange colored pigment (carotenoid) that converts into vitamin A once absorbed in the human body. Vitamin A helps to protect the surface of the eye (cornea) and has been proven to be preventative for certain eye diseases such as corneal ulcers. Vitamin A, which is composed of a number of antioxidants, protects the cornea to decrease the risk of ocular infections and other infectious illnesses. Vitamin A is also known to be a successful solution for dry eyes and other eye disorders. A deficiency of this important vitamin (which tends to exist more in poor and developing countries) is known to cause night blindness, corneal ulcers and retinal damage which can contribute to blindness.
There are two variations of vitamin A, which relate to the food source from which they come. Retinol is vitamin A that comes from an animal origin such as beef, chicken liver, or dairy products. Vitamin A that is fruit and vegetable-derived exists in the form of ''provitamin A'' carotenoids, which are converted to retinol after the food is digested. In addition to carrots, carotenoids can be found in colorful produce such as oranges, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale and cantaloupes.
It is proven that vitamin A contributes to the health of your eyes as well as your total health. Even though carrots themselves won't fix optical distortion which causes vision impairments, grandma was right when she said ''finish your carrots.''