Can eating carrots improve your eyesight?

Can I improve my myopia if I eat carrots every day?

Carrots benefit the eyes because they contain eye-healthy nutrients, including vitamin A and beta-carotene. While these nutrients do support eye health, they won’t reverse or improve the effects of myopia (nearsightedness) or other refractive errors or vision conditions. 

READ MORE: Are carrots really good for your eyes? 

Can the food I eat help my eyes?

Eating foods that are rich in certain vitamins and nutrients may help protect worsening eyesight from progressing further. These include:

• Vitamin A 

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin E 

• Bioflavonoids 

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids

• Carotenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin

Generally, the most colorful fruits and vegetables tend to have the most vitamins and nutrients. Here are some of the “eye-healthiest” foods you can eat:

• Leafy greens, such as kale and spinach

• Oranges and other citrus fruits

• Sweet potatoes and squash

• Berries, such as blueberries and strawberries

• Eggs and milk

• Seafood, including salmon and shrimp

• Almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds

Sometimes these foods may help improve eyesight, but they cannot restore vision that is already impaired. They may help protect the eyes from diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, but they won’t prevent myopia or other refractive errors.

READ MORE: How better nutrition can improve your vision

If not with carrots, how is myopia corrected?

Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long or when the lens or cornea of the eye is too steeply curved. As a result, light doesn’t focus correctly when it enters the eye, so objects in the distance may look blurry. 

The condition is typically corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery. It is not treated simply by eating carrots, no matter how many you eat.

READ NEXT: Nutrition for healthy eyes

Page published on Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Medically reviewed on Wednesday, February 9, 2022