Will eating carrots improve your eyesight?

Is this an old wive’s tale or is there some truth to it?

As it turns out, there is some truth in it.  Carrots are rich in Vitamin A. Vitamin A has proven to be critical for good vision and  healthy eyes.  If you have a Vitamin A deficiency or are low in Vitamin A, this can contribute to poor eyesight.   One carrot can supply all your Vitamin A requirements for the day.

Eat more carrots  and you just might see improvement in your eyesight.

Vitamin A is essential for your body to make the chemical retinal, which is present in your retina and is necessary for vision.  Our eyes have two types of light sensitive cells: the rods and the cones.  The rods are the cells used to see in dim light.  They are most sensitive to a Vitamin A deficiency, because it can cause a shortage of retinal.

When light strikes the retinal molecule, it changes its shape.  This activates chemical reactions that let  the brain know light has entered the eye.  When the levels of light sensitive molecules are low, you won’t have enough retinal to detect light at night.  During the day this is not a problem, even with low levels of retinal.  So that is why only night vision can be improved by eating carrots.

Here is an extremely simple recipe for carrots along with interesting commentary:  Roasted Carrots, by Pastor Ryan