The leaves are beginning to turn a beautiful combination of reds, oranges, and yellows; the temperature is steadily dropping; and the days are growing shorter. Fall is finally here, which means Halloween is right around the corner. Children everywhere are already picking out their costumes and dreaming about their pillow case full of candy. Meanwhile, adults everywhere are decorating their homes with an array of spider webs, tombstones, ghosts, goblins, and other such creepy crawlies. These same adults are also dusting off their favorite pumpkin recipes: pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread, and so much more. And not only are these foods delicious, they are also good for you!
Eating Pumpkins, rich in Vitamin A, can help your Eyesight
Did you know that one cup of cooked pumpkin has over 200% of your daily value of vitamin A, a powerful vitamin that helps preserve your vision? Vitamin A is a group of antioxidant compounds that help the surface of the eye (cornea) fight bacteria and viruses, reducing the risk of eye infections. Additional benefits of Vitamin A include:
- Vitamin A has been shown to reduce the chances of developing cataracts and macular degeneration.
- Vitamin A, which is consumed by our retina in the form of a retinal, also helps in our ability to see in low light.
- Vitamin A eye drops have been shown to help treat dry eyes.
- Vitamin A, combined with lutein, may even prolong eyesight in people with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye disease that causes gradual deterioration of the eye’s photoreceptor cells, the light-sensitive cells of the retina.
Of course, Vitamin A can never replace the benefits of regular, comprehensive ophthalmologic eye exams from the Anne Arundel Eye Center (AAEC). Our caring staff is dedicated to making the best eye care accessible to everyone. Board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles and the eye care specialists at AAEC have helped preserve thousands of patients’ vision. Let us help you too!
If you have any questions about Vitamin A and your Eyesight or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrists Dr. Nathan Frank and Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!
For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.
Sources:
- Heiting, Gary. “Vitamin A and Beta Carotene: Eye Benefits”. All About Vision
- Black, RE; Allen, LH; Bhutta, ZA; Caulfield, LE; De Onis, M; Ezzati, M; Mathers, C; Rivera, J et al. (2008). “Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequences”. Lancet 371 (9608): 243–60.
- Walters, J. (2012, Oct. 12). “5 reasons to eat toasted pumpkin seeds.”
- Wolf, G. (2001). “The discovery of the visual function of vitamin A”. Journal of Nutrition 131(6): 1647–1650.