FOOD & SUPPLEMENT BUNDLE
Foods and supplements claimed to help eye health
43 of them, ranked by strength of evidence. 4 reach grade A or B.
At a glance
43 foods and supplements marketed for eye health, each graded one by one against clinical trial evidence. Grade spread: B 4 · C 26 · D 6 · F 2. 4 reach grade A or B.
The grade measures how strong the evidence is, not how good something is for you. Grade A means independent research groups replicated a reduction in real clinical events in humans; grade F means well-designed trials established there is no effect. See Methodology.
Claimed to help eye health — strongest evidence first
Within a grade, higher scores come first; verdicts without a score sit at the bottom. Follow a name to see its trials, evidence, and limits.
| B | 72 | Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), retinal and visual-development axis | Maintenance of retinal function and infant visual development |
| B | 70 | Zinc in the AREDS and AREDS2 context | Reduced risk of intermediate age-related macular degeneration progressing to advanced disease and central vision loss |
| B | 60 | Vitamin A (retinol/beta-carotene) | Eye health, night blindness, skin, and immunity |
| B | 60 | Maqui berry extract (Aristotelia chilensis) | Improvement in dry eye and tear production |
| C | 59 | Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) | Adjunctive support for intraocular pressure and glaucoma |
| C | 58 | Tisochrysis lutea powder | Improvement of dry-eye symptoms and tear secretion |
| C | 57 | Grape-skin enzymatic fermented extract (KL-GEFE) | Improvement of dry eye and tear-film measures |
| C | 56 | Centella asiatica extract powder | Maintenance of macular pigment density and eye health |
| C | 55 | Astaxanthin (astaxanthin, Haematococcus extract) | eye fatigue, skin health, and antioxidant effects |
| C | 54 | Saffron extract | Visual function and contrast sensitivity in age-related macular degeneration |
| C | 50 | Lutein and zeaxanthin | macular health and eye health |
| C | 50 | Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol, fat-soluble vitamin supplement) | Improvement in OSDI, tear-film stability, and tear secretion in patients with dry eye and vitamin D deficiency |
| C | 50 | Raw vegetable salad eaten with 0, 75, or 150 g scrambled whole egg | Increased 10-hour plasma TRL AUC for total and individual carotenoids |
| C | 49 | Persimmon-leaf ethanolic extract | Improvement of dry eye |
| C | 49 | Nicotinamide or niacinamide (high-dose oral supplement) | Improved retinal ganglion-cell function and short-term visual function in glaucoma during intraocular-pressure-lowering treatment |
| C | 47 | Purple corn cob and husk extract powder | Improvement of dry eyes |
| C | 46 | Bilberry extract (anthocyanins/anthocyanosides) | eye fatigue, eye health, vision/night vision, and dry-eye-related claims |
| C | 46 | Meso-zeaxanthin | Increased macular pigment, improved contrast sensitivity, and reduced glare disability |
| C | 46 | Mirtogenol combination (Mirtoselect bilberry plus Pycnogenol) | Lower intraocular pressure and slowed glaucoma progression |
| C | 46 | Raw vegetable salad with dressings containing 0, 2, 4, 8, or 32 g soybean oil | Increased postprandial chylomicron carotenoid AUC and peak concentration |
| C | 46 | A botanical formula containing lutein ester, zeaxanthin, blackcurrant, chrysanthemum, and goji berry extracts | Reduced digital eye fatigue in adults using video displays |
| C | 45 | Perilla leaf extract | Eye-fatigue relief |
| C | 45 | Nicotinamide (niacinamide, the amide form of vitamin B3) | High-dose supplementation to slow long-term visual-field loss in open-angle or normal-tension glaucoma |
| C | 44 | Sea buckthorn oil (Hippophae rhamnoides) | Dry-eye symptoms and tear-film improvement |
| C | 43 | Goji berry (wolfberry, Lycium barbarum/goji berry) | Eye, fatigue, immunity, antioxidant |
| C | 43 | Gardenia-derived crocetin | Improvement of eye fatigue and accommodation |
| C | 42 | Dried Tetraselmis chuii powder | Improvement of dry eye and tear secretion |
| C | 40 | Blackcurrant anthocyanins | VDT-related eye fatigue and dark adaptation |
| C | 40 | Cyanidin-3-glucoside-rich black soybean seed-coat extract | Eye fatigue and accommodative function |
| C | 40 | Saffron extract (Crocus sativus; crocin-containing botanical extract and supplement) | Lowering intraocular pressure and inhibiting progression when added to existing eye-drop treatment for primary open-angle glaucoma |
| D | 34 | Citicoline or CDP-choline (phospholipid precursor, supplement and medicine in some countries) | Adjunctive inhibition of glaucomatous visual-field progression during pressure-lowering treatment |
| D | 32 | Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) | Dry eye disease |
| D | 27 | Marine omega-3 EPA and DHA from fish-oil supplements | Improvement of dry-eye symptoms and tear-film status |
| D | 25 | Lutein and zeaxanthin (xanthophyll carotenoid supplements) | Prevention of age-related cataract progression, moderate vision loss, and cataract surgery |
| D | 23 | Ginkgo biloba extract (flavonoid- and terpene-lactone supplement or herbal medicine) | Lower intraocular pressure and slower visual-field loss in normal-tension glaucoma |
| D | 22 | Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA; fish-oil supplement) | Suppression of age-related macular degeneration progression and vision loss when added to an AREDS formulation |
| F | 10 | Vitamin C (oral 500 mg/day supplement) | Long-term prevention of age-related cataract onset, progression, and cataract surgery |
| F | 8 | High-dose vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol 400 to 600 IU, a fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin supplement and ingredient in some nonprescription products) | Reduced incidence and progression of age-related cataract and lower risk of cataract surgery |
| ? | score not listed | Chrysanthemum flower (Chrysanthemum indicum) | Eye-fatigue relief and vision protection |
| ? | score not listed | Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) | Eye-fatigue relief and vision protection |
| ? | score not listed | Bromelain (vitreous-floater efficacy claim) | Reduction of vitreous floaters and opacities |
| ? | score not listed | Whole carrots or carrot juice (Daucus carota) | Improved vision in people with normal sight and no vitamin A deficiency |
| ? | score not listed | Whole bell peppers and sweet peppers | Improved eye fatigue and visual function |
Not swallowed — applied, inhaled, held in the mouth, worn, or performed on the body (2)
Same claims, but these are not taken by mouth: rubbed on the skin, breathed in, chewed or rinsed and spat out, worn on the body, or performed as a procedure such as acupuncture or cupping. A different route into the body, so they are listed separately.
| D | 28 | Tea tree oil eyelid scrub | Symptom improvement in Demodex blepharitis |
| ? | score not listed | Self-instillation of 100% castor oil (ricinoleic-acid-rich plant oil; nonsterile general-purpose oil) | Dissolution or reversal of age-related cataract with restored vision after ocular instillation |
What does have evidence for eye health
Not foods or supplements: drugs and procedures graded A or B. Chamgap recommends nothing. It only shows where the evidence is strong. Any treatment decision belongs with your doctor.
| A | 90 | Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP, standard retinal laser, prescribed procedure) | Prevention of severe visual loss and blindness in high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy |
| A | 90 | Focal or grid retinal laser photocoagulation (prescription ophthalmic procedure) | Prevention of moderate vision loss in clinically significant diabetic macular edema |
| A | 88 | Ranibizumab (anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, intravitreal injection, prescription medicine) | Improved vision and reduced vision loss in center-involved diabetic macular edema |
| A | 86 | An additional 40 minutes outdoors on school days | Reduced first onset of myopia in children without baseline myopia |
| A | 82 | Cefuroxime sodium 1 mg/0.1 mL intracamerally (second-generation cephalosporin; approval status varies by country) | Prevention of postoperative endophthalmitis when injected into the anterior chamber at the end of cataract surgery |
| B | 79 | Latanoprost (Xalatan, prescription eye drops) | Slowing progression of visual-field loss in open-angle glaucoma |
| B | 79 | Aflibercept (prescription intravitreal anti-VEGF injection; Eylea) | Prevention of vision loss and improvement of vision in neovascular age-related macular degeneration |
| B | 78 | Bimatoprost (a prescription prostamide ocular hypotensive; Lumigan) | Lowering of intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension |
| B | 78 | Acyclovir or aciclovir (prescription oral guanosine-analogue antiviral) | Prevention of recurrent ocular HSV and stromal keratitis in adults with recent ocular herpes simplex disease |
| B | 78 | Fenofibrate (PPAR-alpha agonist, prescription drug; retinopathy use is off-label in many jurisdictions) | Reduced progression of diabetic retinopathy and need for first laser treatment in type 2 diabetes |
| B | 77 | Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT, 532-nm frequency-doubled Q-switched Nd:YAG ophthalmic procedure) | Reduced disease progression and need for incisional glaucoma surgery as first-line treatment for open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension |
| B | 75 | Timolol maleate (prescription nonselective beta-blocker ophthalmic drug) | Lowered intraocular pressure in open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension |
How to read this list
A grade of C or D does not mean "do not take it." It means the evidence is not yet strong enough to promise the effect. Equally, A or B does not mean it works for everyone.
Chamgap sells nothing and takes no advertising. See all Eye verdicts.