Do Eye Vitamins Improve Eyesight?

There are a ton of questions we get asked about eye vitamins and eye health supplements; things like:

• Should I take them? If so, which ones?

• What if my parents have macular degeneration, but I don't?

• Do they help for cataracts?

• I see ads for lutine, is this good for my eyes?

• Are carrots really helpful?

• How do you even spell “zeaxanthin”?

Adding to the confusion, there is a ton of bad information about eye vitamins floating around online! But, don’t fret!

The AREDS2 Study

The National Institute of Health (NIH) clearly breaks down the science in their debrief of the Age Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) clinical study.

The debrief is a bit lengthy, so for your convenience, the short answer is this…

Most people do not need to eye vitamins for eyesight; if you’re eating properly, you should be able to get all the nutrients you need for great eye health from your diet. There’s really no evidence to support taking eye vitamins will improve your eye health or your eyesight, with one caveat:

Should You Take Vitamins for Eyesight?

If you already have moderate Macular Degeneration, taking an eye health supplement with the following antioxidants will help:

• 500 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C

• 400 international units of vitamin E

• 25 mg zinc as zinc oxide

• 2 mg copper as cupric oxide

• 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin

• 350 mg DHA and 650 mg EPA

Based on the AREDS2 you will reduce your risk of developing advanced macular degeneration by 25%. 

If you don't already have ARMD, taking eye vitamins and health supplement has not been proven beneficial to overall eyesight and eye health.