Healthy vision requires healthy eating. The right nutrition good, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds supplies us with the vitamins, minerals, trace elements and essential fatty acids so vital to our general health and our eye health.

So why the need for nutrition supplements? Well, unless you always eat between five and nine portions of organic fruit and vegetables daily as well as three servings of nuts and seeds and whole grains, you may well benefit by taking certain carefully chosen nutrition supplements. Even if you do follow such a dietary regime, studies have shown that, to achieve levels of Vitamins C and E and zinc associated with eye health benefits, a good diet is not enough.

Although a good, healthy diet is not considered sufficient to maintain optimal vision health, you should not abandon eating healthily. Replacing a healthy diet with processed food and nutrition supplements is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The anti-oxidants and fiber found in natural foods are invaluable for their anti-carcenogenic (cancer-fighting) properties.

Which supplements should you be looking out for to promote healthy vision? A number of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids are considered to be promoters of healthy vision. These include:

The antioxidants Vitamins C and E.

The carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. These help enhance the repair of epithelial tissue which is particularly relevant to healthy vision. Following corrective vision surgery to correct myopia and astigmatism, the epithelium is rubbed away and the cornea reshaped. Taking these nutrients over a lengthy period prior to surgery can aid a speedy recovery and promote healing.

The elements zinc, selenium and calcium.

Vitamins of the B complex folic acid and thiamin.

Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

The amino acids Alpha Lipoic Acid and N-Acetyl Cysteine.

Multiple vitamins, which have been formulated especially to promote eye health, will contain all or most of the above constituents. But opinion is divided over taking multivitamin supplements. With the exception of the B complex vitamins, which are best taken together, many nutritionists advocate taking antioxidants and other specific nutrients singly.

This seems odd since nutrients found in natural sources act synergistically. This means they work together in highly complex ways. Your body is genetically set up to receive these elements bound together in plant complexes.

It seems, though, that taking these nutrients singly has two distinct advantages. First, it allows you to choose the particular nutrients which will be of greatest benefit to you. Second, you can select nutrients of the required strength. To retard the progression of certain eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataract, high levels of antioxidant Vitamins C and E and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are recommended.

Besides taking these supplements singly, there is a question of freshness to take into account. Vitamins, minerals and other supplements which are not fresh, are toxic to the body and can be harmful. As a precautionary measure, check that the seal on the bottle is unbroken.

It is also a good idea to buy capsules instead of tablets. Capsules are absorbed more easily. They have a gelatin outer shell that dissolves easily on contact with your digestive system, and allows the active ingredients to enter the blood stream very quickly. Tablets are much more likely to pass straight through the body.

Some manufacturers carefully formulate their vitamins so that absorption is enhanced for people with allergies or digestive problems. This is achieved by specially emulsifying chemical-free vitamins which can then be added to juice or water or, if preferred, taken under the tongue.

Vitamin E, for example, can be bought nitrogen-packed to protect against oxidation and blended in pure, cold-pressed olive oil. It is hypoallergenic and easily absorbed. Flaxseed oil, a rich natural source of essential fatty acids and the richest known source of Omega 3 fatty acids, can be purchased in capsules blended with Vitamins C and E and emulsified in olive oil.

Both Vitamin E and flaxseed oil are particularly good nutrients to promote healthy vision. Their antioxidant properties assist in retarding premature aging, and since the eye is one of the most delicate and easily-degraded organs of the body, their long-term use can be invaluable in preventing the onset of eye disease.

Keeping with the allergy theme, good nutrition supplements should not contain dairy products as fillers. Those with allergies or food intolerances should be willing to pay more for organically-sourced products from reputable nutrition stores. Better still, they should make enquiries from supplement companies about their quality control and the effectiveness of their products in countering free radical activity.

A few final tips: always buy the best-quality supplements you can find. Never remove vitamins from bottles before you are going to take them, and keep them away from sunlight and warmth. Whenever you remove supplements, smell the bottle. If it has a strong odor the vitamins may have gone off and should be thrown away.

Follow the above guidelines and you can be sure that neither your eyes nor your pocket will lose out.