Basic Facts On Vision Vitamins

By Nita McKinney

Vision vitamins are an important component of our everyday diet.

Apart from the vitamin A which is widely known for its important properties, there are many others that play a central role in maintaining good eyesight.

These nutritional elements include vitamin B6 and C and others such as selenium, zinc and magnesium among others.

 There are many different types of foods that contain many of these elements in different combinations.

Examples include green leafy vegetables, oranges, carrots and pumpkins among others.

We will look at vitamin A in detail and understand what it is that it does at cellular level.

 Research has revealed to us that this vitamin is very important in the synthesis of a pigment known as rhodopsin.

This pigment is found in high amounts on the retina which acts as a screen on which images from the environment are formed.

Adequate levels of rhodopsin are needed to help one see better in dim light.

It is important to mention that vitamin A is made up of several components and is not one unit as is believed by many.

The different components are made up of hydrocarbon molecules that are unsaturated.

They include molecules such as carotenoids, retinol and retinal.

 Beta carotene is the most important carotene that has been identified yet.

When retinal combines with a protein called opsin, the result is the molecule rhodopsin.

Deficiency of vitamin A results in a number of eye conditions that vary in severity depending on the extent of involvement.

It often occurs when there is reduced intake of provitamin A carotenoid containing foods such as vegetables, dairy and animals products and fruits.

 This is the commonest scenario and is also referred to as primary vitamin A deficiency.

Secondary deficiency is commonly the result of impaired absorption of lipids and decreased production and release of bile.

The A vitamin is fat soluble and will therefore require that there are enough lipids for it to be adequately absorbed.

Cigarette smoking and prolonged alcohol use are the other risk factors that have been identified as contributing to insufficiency of this vitamin.

Night blindness is one of the commonest and earliest symptoms of deficiency.

One of the causes of reduced vision is drying of the conjunctiva which takes place as the condition progresses.

The normal secretory system is progressively replaced with hardened keratinised tissue.

As keratin plaques are eroded progressively, more keratinisation takes place.

The antioxidant properties of vitamin C help protect the eye from damage due to radiation.

This nutrient also helps in maintaining normal pressure, collagen and capillary integrity. Vitamin B6 helps maintain the structure and function of red blood cells found within the retina.

A trace element such as zinc plays a key role in ensuring good vision.

It is responsible for converting beta carotene to vitamin A.

The truth is that it is not possible to take all the vision vitamins on a daily basis.

What is important is to ensure that one takes them as many times as possible within the week.

Intake is determined by factors such as sex, age, pregnancy and lactation.

 Excessive of the vitamins may cause toxicity and due caution is, therefore, advised.

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