Eating a wide variety of colourful fruit and vegetables, including dark green leaves, is good for your general health and may support good eye health. However, there is no strong evidence about the effect of diet on your eye health.
There are lots of dietary supplements on the market which claim to be beneficial for eye health. There is no good evidence that you should be taking these supplements.
One large trial in the USA (AREDS 1 and 2) showed that taking certain nutritional supplements may slow down the rate at which age-related macular degeneration (AMD) progresses in some people. It is not clear whether this is the case in the wider population. According to the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the available evidence is not strong enough to recommend making changes to your diet or taking nutritional supplements for AMD. Ask your optometrist whether nutritional supplements may be helpful for you.
If you smoke or have been exposed to asbestos, you should not take supplements that contain beta carotene as they may be harmful to you.
Maintaining a healthy weight is not only good for your general health, it is also good for your eyes. If you are overweight, you are more likely to develop diabetes and high blood pressure. This may in turn affect your eyes. Being overweight means you are more at risk of developing AMD and cataracts.
Last reviewed: February 2026
