You may have been told that carrots improve your eyesight, but is it the truth? Eye doctors know that carrots can't save you from needing eye glasses. However, they do provide significant quantities of beta-carotene, a vitamin that is very good for your eye health and therefore ingesting foods rich in beta-carotene is surely advised for maintaining eye health.
Beta-carotene is a carotenoid, or orange pigment that changes into vitamin A after it's digested in the human body. Vitamin A protects the cornea, or surface of the eye, and has been determined to prevent various eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Vitamin A, an antioxidant compound, protects the surface of the eye to reduce the frequency of eye infections and other infectious illnesses. Vitamin A has also shown to be a successful treatment for dry eyes as well as other eye disorders. A deficiency of this important vitamin (which is exist more in underdeveloped countries) often causes night blindness, corneal ulcers and retinal damage which can contribute to complete blindness.
Two types of vitamin A exist, which relate to the food source from which they come. Vitamin A originating from an animal is called Retinol and can be obtained from foods such as beef, liver, or dairy products. Vitamin A that is obtained from fruits and vegetables exists in the form of ''provitamin A'' carotenoids, which break down to retinol after the nutrients are absorbed. In addition to carrots, carotenoids can be found in colorful produce particularly those that are bright orange or green in color.
It is proven that vitamin A is beneficial to your eyes and your overall health. Although carrots can't fix near or far-sightedness, mother had it right when she said ''eat your vegetables.''