Carrots Good for Eyes?

Question:

Can carrots really improve my vision?

Answer:

Yes and no.

Eating carrots won't give a nearsighted person 20/20 vision. But carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A -- a crucial nutrient for maintaining proper eyesight.

Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, says John Allred, a professor of nutrition at Ohio State University. An extreme deficiency can even cause blindness. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of blindness in the Third World. But if you're not deficient in vitamin A, your vision won't improve no matter how many carrots or other beta-carotene-rich fruits and vegetables you eat.

Most multivitamins today contain beta-carotene so they're one easily available source, says Karen Cullen, RD, DrPH, an assistant professor of nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine's Children's Nutrition Research Center. But she strongly recommends getting your daily dose from dark, green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach and bright, orange-colored fruits and vegetables such as peaches, apricots, cantaloupes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. Foods high in beta-carotene are preferable to a vitamin because they come with other important nutrients that you won't necessarily get from a vitamin, says Cullen.

If you eat very large amounts of the orange-colored fruits and vegetables, your skin may turn orange because beta-carotene is a pigment, says Cullen. But don't worry -- it's completely harmless. Just cut back on those orange foods to make the color go away. However, since you do have to eat a lot of beta-carotene to change your skin color, if this happens, you might want to seek the advice of a health professional to make sure your diet is well-balanced, Cullen says.