Vitamin A and Healthy Eyes

A carrot a day keeps the eye doctor away.

Can you remember your parents saying to you, 'Eat your carrots? They'll make you see in the dark!'? It turns out there's truth in that saying, as carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A, which is an essential nutrient required in a healthy diet.  

There are around six vitamins and minerals vital for growing children, and Vitamin A is one of them. It's so essential that supplements have been introduced to children who live in at-risk countries and attributed to saving millions of lives a year. 

That's because Vitamin A bolsters healthy immune responses to things like measles and diarrhoea, which can be a significant issue in underdeveloped countries. It's also excellent for supporting normal growth and development, tissue and bone repair – and a biggie for us in developed countries – eye health. 

Vitamin A does two particular things for the eyes – it maintains a clear cornea and supports the part of the eye that allows us to see in low light. A deficiency in Vitamin A can result in Xerophthalmia - a progressive eye disease that begins with night blindness. If left untreated, the tear ducts and eyes can dry out, and the cornea will soften, resulting in irreversible blindness. 

Other research has also indicated that having good Vitamin A levels can reduce your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.  

A natural way to support healthy eyes is for kids to get enough yellow and orange vegetables (mangoes, papaya, carrots and squash), green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach), dairy products or foods fortified with Vitamin A. 

Unfortunately, many kids are picky eaters and use devices daily (with their harmful blue light), which motivates parents to supplement their diet with Vitamin A.  

Childlife Healthy Vision SoftMelts support optimal visual system health in kids when exposure to blue light from devices is a daily occurrence.