Carrots May Not Be Helpful In Having Better Eyesight

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Carrots may have many dietary nutrients including vitamin A but a study shows that eating carrots will not help in getting a better eyesight if a person already has a vitamin A sufficient diet.

In the article posted in ABC Health and Wellbeing, the Blue Mountains eye study conducted in the late 1990's examines the link between increased vitamin A intake and the deteriorating vision of the older people. According to the authors of the study, people who are said to have a poor eye sight ate more carrots, but still nothing happens to their sight.

"No amount of carrots will improve your eyesight if you already have a well-balanced diet", says Professor Algis Vingrys of the University of Melbourne of Optometry and Vision Services.

Carrots provides carotenoids, to where the name of this vegetable came from, retinoids and other important antioxidant, especially lutein, benefits. Caroteniods and retinoids are the two types of vitamin A that are abundantly found in carrots and are very crucial to prevent to risks for eye and cardiovascular diseases, and cancers.

Accoding to Insight Vision Center, carotenoids are essential precursor of vitamin A. A person who lacks vitamin A increases the risk for cataracts, xeropthalmia, and macular degeneration, and might lead to blindness in severe cases.

Lutien is also an essential antioxidant found in carrots. It increases the pigment density of the macula which protects the retina and reducing the risks for macular degeneration.

However, insufficient of vitamin A may lead to night blindness and other eye problems. Although, rarely people complains about night blindness, one of the earliest signs when vitamin A is insufficient is reduced night vision.

People who tend to eat reasonably balanced diet may have less the risks of these eye problems. Eating carrots helps avoid night blindness and improve night vision only when there is a vitamin A deficiency.