Our eyes are often overlooked when it comes to maintaining our health. As the population ages, maintaining one's vision throughout life is imperative to living a full and productive life. One area being studied is the impact of nutrition on eye health. More and more research is showing that improving your diet with the right nutrients or taking supplements may play an important role in maintaining long-term healthy vision. Nutrients important in your diet for healthy vision include

• Vitamin E 400 IU/Day – Nuts, salad and vegetable oils, fortified cereals, sweet potatoes, Margarine, Vitamin E supplements or multivitamins

• Vitamin C 500 mg/Day – Orange juice, other citrus and fortified juices, citrus fruits, Vitamin C supplements or multivitamins

• Zinc 40-80 mg/Day – Red meat, poultry, oysters, fortified breakfast cereals, nuts, baked beans, multivitamin/mineral supplements

• Copper 2 mg/Day – Mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, beef liver, beans, lentils or multivitamin/mineral supplements

• Lutein 6-10 mg/Day – Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, Swiss chard, collards or kale; corn, egg yolks, or purified lutein supplements

• DHA/EPA essential fatty acids:500 mg/Day – Flax or fleshy fish like tuna or salmon, or fish oil supplements

Source: American Optometric Association (AOA) Low vision Rehabilitation Section (www.aoa.org), NewsCanada.com

Source: www.newscanada.com