Can vitamin supplements help maintain your vision?
Dietary supplements containing beta-carotene, vitamin C or vitamin E can neither prevent age-related cataracts nor slow the progression of the condition.
Dietary supplements are often marketed using a lot of health-related claims. They are available over the counter in pharmacies, supermarkets, drugstores or on the internet. They come in many different forms, including tablets, capsules, powder or liquids. Dietary supplements contain nutrients that also occur naturally in our food, such as vitamins and minerals, but in a concentrated form and often at a higher dose. Some of these products are claimed to be especially good for your eyes and vision.
Cataracts develop when the lens of the eye gradually becomes cloudy. Your eyesight becomes increasingly blurry, as if you were looking at things through a veil or fog. In industrialized countries, cataracts are more common in older people.
According to one common theory, substances called free radicals develop in the cells of the eyes, where they can damage the tissue. Some vitamin supplements are believed to stop this damage, thereby supposedly preventing cataracts from developing, or slowing down vision loss.