As you read this, how close are you to your screen right now? Are you leaning over your desk? Are you holding your phone mere inches from your face?

Aside from the old “lean in and squint”, a poor vision comes with a lot of other symptoms.

Today, we’ll focus on what nutrients are best for supporting eye health and keeping your sight crystal clear.

Then, I’ll share my five favorite smoothie recipes featuring those essential vitamins and nutrients. If you want to preserve your eyesight naturally, there’s no better time to start than now.

Can Great Nutrition Clear Up Your Vision?

Failing vision is endemic in our society. In fact, the Vision Council of America reports that three out of four American adults require some form of vision correction.

Sure, some of it is age-related, but isn’t there anything we can do about this?

Can food truly heal our sight?

Unfortunately, no.

I’d never mislead my readers with conditions like cataracts, myopia, or glaucoma.

Currently, no solid evidence exists stating that fruit and vegetable smoothies will absolve us of these conditions.

However, vision-enhancing nutrition can improve sight that’s been affected by your habits and lifestyle.

Nutrition can additionally impact the rate at which conditions like macular degeneration progress.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly...

It helps you maintain the sight you do have. You know what they say about an ounce of prevention.

It’s important to know the exact cause of any vision problems you’re experiencing. An appointment with an ophthalmologist should clarify any issues.

But I already have a pretty good idea as to what causes eyesight problems in otherwise well-sighted people.

First of all, dehydration is a huge factor in visual disruptions. It’s simple: when you’re dehydrated, so are your eyes.

Conditions like dry eye can lead to blurry vision. Furthermore, if your eyes aren’t properly lubricated due to low fluid intake, it creates more strain.

Here is why:

What’s changed in our society that is increasing our chances of eye strain?

Screens.

Look, I happen to love technology. Tablets, computers, smartphones, LED televisions, all of it.

Chances are, you do, too! Such devices aren’t as harmful to our eyes as UV rays, but they’re still getting quite a workout.

Additionally, the workplace has evolved to depend on screen time. A lot of us couldn’t reduce our exposure if we wanted to! 

And that long-term exposure may potentially cause serious vision problems.

Here is the hard fact...

Let’s resolve to address this head-on.

For starters, you can turn the brightness down on your device’s screens. Beyond that, we’re going to learn what’s inside the foods that help us retain our precious sight.

Best Nutrients for Eye Health

This is yet another area where food is more effective than any supplement. The combination of phytonutrients and vitamins present in natural foods absorbs more beneficially than pills do.

But wait, there's more:

As we’ll note, some of the best vitamins for the eyes can indeed be dangerous in supplement form. 

Not to worry - I’ll tell you what foods contain these magical little ingredients. 

Here’s what you must eat for excellent vision:

The Alphabet: Vitamins A, C, D, and E.

The Vitamin A is practically known as a panacea for the eyes. Actually, a healthy vitamin A intake is dependent on your consumption of carotenoids. 

Surely you’re aware that carotenoids, namely beta carotene are must-haves for eye health.

But did you know that vitamin A in supplement form can be toxic?

Let me be more specific.

Performed vitamin A, like that which is found in animal products, fortified foods, and supplements, can be toxic. 

This is because the dosage of vitamin A often exceeds the RDA. And since it’s fat-soluble, it stays behind.

For lots of healthy provitamin A, add sweet potatoes, carrots, melons, mango, and apricots to your diet.

Vitamin C reduces your risk of developing cataracts. It can also slow down sight deterioration due to macular degeneration. 

This vitamin is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning your body doesn’t hang onto it. Therefore, you need to replenish your stores every day.

Read here to see how it's backed by research.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great C sources available at most markets. 

I recommend stocking up on lemons, oranges, strawberries, red peppers, grapefruit, cauliflower, tangerines, and tomatoes.

Vision problems like dry eye and floaters can come about due to a vitamin D deficiency. 

Moreover, adequate vitamin D intake may prevent macular degeneration. Most people get their D from fortified foods, but there are other options.

I’ll explain.

For example...

Just be sure to follow the guidelines for safe sun exposure.

Lastly, vitamin E can potentially slow the progression of age-related vision problems. It’s best to get this fat-soluble antioxidant from food.

You see, once again, there is a link between constant supplementation and serious problems.

Avocados, almonds, kiwi, and pumpkin are great sources of vitamin E.

Lutein and zeaxanthin.

Therefore, it is thought that these carotenoids help protect you from excessive blue light exposure. Various studies indicate that they can help prevent age-related macular degeneration.

If you’d like to reduce blue light exposure, you can purchase this protective panel - click for price that fits over your device’s screen. 

Zinc.

If you’re making sure to get enough vision-supporting vitamins, make sure you support them with zinc.

Zinc is a mineral that increases antioxidant absorption.

However, like vitamins A and E, supplementation may do more harm than good.

But wait, read more:

When you take a supplement in conjunction with zinc-rich foods, you may be getting too much. 

When you regularly exceed the RDA, zinc has been shown to have the opposite effect on eyes. It can potentially increase your chances of age-related macular degeneration!

At the same time, a lot of the population is deficient in zinc. I want my readers to find their sweet spot with zinc.

Eat a lot of beans and legumes, mushrooms, garlic, and broccoli, as well as nuts like cashews and almonds.

Let me explain... The Five Best Smoothies for Eyesight [Recipes]

1. The Apricot Eye Booster.

Our star feature here is the apricot, rich in miraculous vitamin A. It makes the perfect nutritious breakfast, and is palatable to kids, too!

To start, you’ll need:

The raw honey - click for price or unrefined coconut sugar is optional. I find that a little sweetener is good to offset the tartness of the apricot.

That’s especially important if you expect your kids to drink it!

It’s super simple to make, too - just add all of the ingredients at once and blend.

2. The Deceptively Healthy Chocolate Avocado Dessert       Smoothie.

No, really - 

This smoothie may help you naturally improve your eyesight, and it tastes like a milkshake. 

Here, we use avocado, cashew butter, and almond milk to get plenty of zinc and vitamin E.

Scoop the flesh out of the avocado and add it to the blender with everything but the ice. 

Halfway through blending, add the ice. 

This way, it won’t be melted by the time you get through blending. It also helps to chop the dates very finely.

This smoothie is inspired by one of my favorite avocado chocolate mousse recipes! It satisfies the sweet tooth while it delivers great, vision-supporting nutrition.

3. The Vision-Protecting Green Smoothie.

Every collection of smoothie recipes should include at least one green smoothie. 

This one contains lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin E, and vitamin C. You’ll love how the kiwi overpowers the taste of kale.

This smoothie calls for:

Process your kale in half of the water first to reduce chunkiness. Add the rest and blend, blend, blend.

Kiwis are really a rather underrated fruit that’s great for eyesight. They contain lutein, zeaxanthin and plenty of vitamin C. 

You should check out this post...

4. The Provitamin A Super Shot Smoothie. 

This smoothie features three of the biggest sources of plant-based vitamin A. I recommend it to anyone who spends their days in front of a computer. 

Also, it’s worth trying for anyone with a known family history of macular degeneration or cataracts. 

Blend this up at least three days a week and reduce eye strain while preventing future sight deterioration.

To make it, you’ll need:

Speaking of smooth and bright, this smoothie is also spectacular for the skin. 

Additionally, cantaloupes and mangoes are water-rich and very hydrating. This is the perfect summertime smoothie for great skin and clear vision.

5. The ABC Sweet Potato Smoothie.

Vitamin A, Beta-carotene, and Vitamin C come together to create a smoothie so satisfying it could be a meal replacement.

Add a few ice cubes during blending to make it a little frostier. 

The sweet potato, orange, and banana are so naturally sweet that you won’t miss the lack of added sugar here. 

You can also add more spices if you like - it almost tastes like sweet potato pie.

Bonus Tip: Layer Your Smoothies!

Image source

If you’ve been watching healthy foodies on Instagram, you’ve no doubt been envious of those picture-perfect layered smoothies.

It looks fancy, but it’s super easy, and I do it all of the time! That way, I get double the vision-enhancing nutrition.

First, pick two or three smoothie flavors that complement one another.

For example, I think the Vision-Protecting Green Smoothie and Vitamin A Super shot go great together.

Next, make your two separate smoothies, and pop them each in the freezer for 15 minutes.

After you pull them out of the freezer, spoon the thickest smoothie into the glass first. Fill it about one-third of the way.

Then, spoon your lighter smoothie on top of it. I also like to layer mine with chia seed pudding and garnish with sunflower seeds or goji berries.

So...  that's about all I have on...

How 5 Best Smoothies Can Improve Your Eyesight Naturally

Okay, so you can’t cure blindness with smoothies.

But you can hydrate, reduce eye strain, and prevent your risk of age-related vision disorders. You just need to get a few key nutrients:

And those are just the ones we had time to cover! You can also protect and improve eye health with things like selenium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Now it’s your turn to share why you think smoothies are healthier - if you agree at all!

What kind of blender do you use, and what are your favorite ingredients to add?