Clear vision depends on a handful of nutrients, especially as we grow older and spend long hours on screens.
Nutrients that support your eyes
Vitamin A
Needed for night vision, healthy eyes, skin and immunity.
- How much you need: Stay within the pack dose; the body stores vitamin A, so extra builds up.
- Best food sources: Carrots, papaya, mango, pumpkin, green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs.
Be careful:
- PREGNANCY: avoid high-dose vitamin A — it can harm the baby.
- Smokers should avoid beta-carotene supplements.
Lutein
A yellow plant pigment that collects in the retina and helps filter harsh blue light.
- How much you need: No official allowance; supplements usually 10 mg a day.
- Best food sources: Spinach and other greens, corn, egg yolk.
Zinc
Needed for immunity, wound healing, skin, and the lining of the gut.
- How much you need: Men 17 mg, women 13 mg a day (ICMR-NIN 2020).
- Best food sources: Pulses, nuts, seeds, whole grains, meat.
Be careful:
- More than 40 mg a day for months can cause copper deficiency.
- Take with food if it upsets the stomach.
Everyday habits that help
- Rest your eyes from screens
- Regular eye check-ups
When to see a doctor: Blurred vision, pain or a red eye needs an eye doctor. Diabetics should have a yearly eye check.
Before you take any supplement
- Supplements fill a gap in the diet; they do not treat disease. Anyone with a diagnosed condition (diabetes, kidney, liver or heart disease) or on regular medicines should ask their doctor first.
- Doses here are for ADULTS. Children’s and pregnancy supplements are chosen by the doctor.
- Only products made entirely of nutrients are suggested (vitamins, minerals, probiotics, amino acids, plant extracts) — anything that also contains a drug is left out.
- Daily amounts are the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances where one exists; more is not better.
- Products are listed focused-first (1–3 ingredients), then multivitamins, each by how often our shops sold it — a multivitamin may carry only a small amount of a given nutrient.
Not sure what suits you? Ask our pharmacist at any FirstShield store, or message us on WhatsApp.