All About Vitamin A Image

All About Vitamin A

There’s a very good reason as to why we refer to vitamin A as “Vitamin Eye.” Simply put, this vitamin is the superhero of the eye health world.

Vitamin A can help your vision in a number of ways, but it is also widely thought to help boost your immune system and help with cell growth. It also increases neurological function and boosts your skin’s radiance.

Look at me, boasting about this nutrient like it’s my own child. Enough surface facts – what about the vitamin actually makes it so powerful? How does it differ from all the other vitamins out there?

The Powerful Retinoid and Antioxidant

All About Vitamin AThere are two types of vitamin A. One type, most commonly found in animal products, is a vitamin A retinoid that is soluble in fat. This means that it is stored in the fat of your body and can be tapped into when needed.  The more commonly known type, beta-carotene, comes from plants, fruits and vegetables.

The body absorbs both these types of the vitamin to act as antioxidants that fight free radicals. Free radicals can be detrimental to anyone’s health. When free radicals start forming in the body, they create a chain reaction that can cause severe cell damage and sometimes cell deaths.

When vitamin A is present in the body, it creates a stable bond between molecules, which prevents free radicals from forming. This makes for a healthier overall immune system, promotes healthy cell development (especially in children) and it keeps your retina safe from irreversible cell damage. Clearly, you want to make sure you are getting enough of this vitamin in your daily diet.

What About Deficiencies?

Free radicals forming in the body are hard to spot, but some other symptoms of a vitamin A deficiency are not. A gluten sensitivity, inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatic disorders are all signs of a potential deficiency.

Unlike other vitamins and minerals, which are easily absorbed into the body through foods and other sources, vitamin A deficiencies are becoming all too common. The people most at risk of developing a deficiency are alcoholics, pregnant women of low income and young children.

However, a deficiency isn’t always a result of an unhealthy or imbalanced diet. It is sometimes caused by malabsorption. This means that the body is not absorbing the vitamin as it should, which is why deficiencies are common in people going through bodily changes.

Deficiencies are treated as any other vitamin deficiency would be treated. A doctor assesses the degree of your deficiency and then recommends a daily dosage of supplements. You’ll have to keep up with the supplements until your supply has been replenished.

Like any deficiency, a lack in this vitamin can be harmful to everyone, but it is especially harmful to babies and young children. If left untreated, a deficiency in the vitamin can lead to development issues and blindness.

Vitamin Eye

Vitamin A has long been the go-to vitamin for eye health. Even your mom knew that when she told you that you couldn’t play until you ate all of your carrots. Though mom might not have known exactly what it was about carrots that made them so good for the eyes, we’ll give her credit for one heck of a mother’s intuition.

Aside from fighting free radicals, studies have shown that people with a healthy amount of this nutrient in their diets are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD). As the name suggests, AMD is the deterioration of the macula in the eye. It’s also one of the leading causes of blindness in senior citizens.

Though there is no cure — at least not yet — for AMD, this vitamin is a strong component in preventing and slowing down the progression of the disease.

Vitamin A also helps regulates the thickness of the cornea. If too soft, the cornea is susceptible to developing various infections and may even lead to a ruptured cornea. Too thick, and the cornea will cause clouded vision followed by irreversible blindness.

Some added benefits of this nutrient for your eye health are that it keeps your eyes moist and help the eye adjust to different lights. We’ve all had that horrible experience of being cooped up inside all day, only to step out into  sun and being temporarily blinded.

Whether you have naturally dry eyes or it’s a result of a side effect of prescribed medication, this vitamin is the ticket to more comfortable vision.

Where to Find Vitamin A: Food and Supplements

You can find the vitamin in various animal products and plant-based foods. You can also find it in supplement form. Supplements come in either tablet form or in candy gummy form.

Tip: gummy supplements can be a good way to trick your kids into taking their daily dose of this vitamin. We won’t tattle.

For parents and adults, we’d like to recommend our Ocu-Plus Formula. This supplement comes loaded with vitamin A, along with other vitamins and nutrients to achieve optimal eye health.

Maybe supplements don’t interest you and you’d prefer to get your vitamins and nutrients from a healthy diet. Well, hey, that’s great! We have just the food suggestions for you!

The rule of thumb is that the brighter or more highly pigmented the food, the higher in beta-carotene it is. Keep that in mind the next time you find yourself at the grocery store.

While you’re there, you may want to look into these foods:

  • Carrots
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Bell peppers (especially red ones)
  • Kale and spinach
  • Mangos
  • Turkey and beef liver
  • Butternut squash

These are our favorites, but feel free to mix and match them with your regular grocery list! If you have young people in your life who may be adverse to these nutritious items, try blending or masking them in a smoothie or soup.  Your body and eyes need this vitamin to function and prevent disease. Get it into your diets however you like; you may even learn a few new recipes along the way!

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Join or Start the Discussion

  1. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen norm schartner says:

    have used your product for 5 years now,and saw amazing improvment in driving at night,blurred closeup and distant vision. now78 years old, have not been to my eye doc in 5 years !

  2. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Smit says:

    Nice article as always. And thanks Xenia.

  3. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Saadhero says:

    Interesting Thx for the info keep it up ^^

  4. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Xenia says:

    I find your articles very interesting and useful. However, the plant foods that you listed above, do only contain beta-carotene which is NOT equivalent to active vitamin A in the body. The conversion in most people is very poor, about 1 % of beta-carotene gets converted in the body into vitamin A. So you would need to eat 50 lb of carrots or more every day to get the vitamn A that you need. It is simply not possible.

    That is not to sy that we should not eat the foods that you listed. We should, and they are very healthy and very good for us. Just not as a source of vitamin A.

    The real sources of the preformed vitamin A are liver, eggs, butter, milk, fish oil and cheese. And as you can see the Nature made sure to always have some fat in these foods so that the vitamin A can be absorbed properly.

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About the Author

Avatar for Tyler Sorensen

Tyler Sorensen is the President and CEO of Rebuild Your Vision. Formerly, Tyler studied Aeronautics (just like his brother) with the dream of becoming an airline pilot, however, after 9/11 his career path changed. After graduating top of his class with a Bachelor of Science in Informational Technologies and Administrative Management, he joined Rebuild Your Vision in 2002. With the guidance of many eye care professionals, including Behavioral Optometrists, Optometrists (O.D.), and Ophthalmologists (Eye M.D.), Tyler has spent nearly two decades studying the inner workings of the eye and conducting research.

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