The Facts About the Eye Health Benefits of Eating Carrots

Can carrots really improve your vision? While eye care professionals admit that carrots contain large amounts of a beta-carotene that has proven to be very good for your eyes, carrots do not take the place of suitable corrective eye care.

Beta-carotene is a carotenoid, or orange pigment that converts into vitamin A after it's absorbed in the human body. Vitamin A helps to guard the surface of the eye (cornea) and has been determined to be preventative for certain eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Vitamin A, which is composed of a number of antioxidants, guards the surface of the eye to decrease the risk of eye infections as well as other infectious diseases. Vitamin A has also shown to be a successful solution for dry eyes as well as other eye conditions. A deficiency of vitamin A (which tends to exist more in poor and developing countries) often causes night blindness, corneal ulcers and retinal damage which can contribute to total blindness.

There are two forms of vitamin A, which relate to the food source they come from. Vitamin A derived from an animal is called Retinol and can be obtained from foods such as beef, chicken liver, or dairy products. Vitamin A that is fruit and vegetable-derived comes in the form of ''provitamin A'' carotenoids, which convert to retinol after the nutrients are digested. In addition to carrots, carotenoids are ingested when eating colorful produce particularly those that are bright orange or green in color.

There is no doubt that through most forms, vitamin A contributes to the health of your eyes as well as your overall well being. Even though carrots can't correct optical distortion which causes near or far-sightedness, mother was right when she said ''eat your vegetables.''