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Nowadays we know of many different discount vitamins for healthy eyesight though in the past our mother and grandmothers told us to eat carrots and we would see in the dark. Somewhat overstated, but it was true that carrots were good for our eyesight. Our parents knew what they were talking about, if not the reason for it.

Carrots are rich in beta carotene and vitamin A. In fact, one average sized carrot contains twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, and it is true what they say: that if you eat too many carrots your skin will turn yellow. Not great for your tan then, but great for your eyesight. And the great thing about vitamin A being good for your eyesight is that there is nothing special about it.

Vitamin A is not an expensive supplement, and is available online at discount prices. It is perhaps not a coincidence that most of the vitamins and supplements that are good for your eyesight are well known, and available at low prices. It is likely that the vitamins necessary for optimum health are those that are most readily available, by virtue of the fact that the most essential will be the most popular and hence the most commonly produced. The most commonly produced will, by definition, be those that are offered at a discounted price due to the competition between the outlets that market them.

It should not surprise you; therefore, to find that the ubiquitous vitamin C also promotes healthy eyesight. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that provides protection to various cells and tissues in your body, including those of the brain and the eye. That is particularly important in this day and age when your eyes are subject to the ravages of free radicals.

Free radicals are chemicals produced naturally by the body when fighting disease or converting food into energy, and can damage other cells if not destroyed quickly. That is the job of the antioxidants such as vitamins A and C. However, in this modern era, free radical formation is becoming more prevalent since they are created by the body through the action of sunlight passing through a depleted ozone layer, chemical pollution, insecticides and smoking.

The antioxidants are therefore working overtime, and if you suffer from a deficiency, then you could be in trouble. Free radicals can cause heart problems, promote the formation of cancer cells and ruin your eyesight. Antioxidants protect our eyes from cataracts, macular degeneration that affects the central vision from the middle part of the eye, and glaucoma, which is a build-up of pressure within your eyeball that can damage your optic nerve and eventually lead to blindness.

Vitamin C is found at up to 50 times the level in the aqueous humor of your eyeball that in your blood, and is at its highest within the lens. It prevents cataracts and also lowers the pressure within your eye, preventing glaucoma. Luckily, vitamin C is one of those vitamins that are readily available, both in your normal diet and as a supplement, and can easily be obtained at discounted prices and so are not a drain on your finances.

Although both vitamin A and vitamin C are good antioxidants, it is vitamin E that is the most effective and potent of the antioxidants important for the health of your eyes. Vitamin E helps vitamin C to work at its greatest effect, and without the presence of vitamin E, vitamin C would be less potent as a free radical scavenger. Vitamin E also works synergistically with the mineral selenium that helps the body to create other antioxidants. Without vitamin E, selenium too would be less effective, so E is a very important vitamin for healthy eyesight.

Another mineral that is present in the eyes in a greater concentration than anywhere else in the body is zinc. The importance of zinc lies in its effect on enzyme production, many of which have antioxidant properties. This mineral keeps the photoreceptors in your retina working as they should, and also protects the lens from developing cataracts. Zinc is another example of a substance that requires the presence of a second substance for it to work properly, since it needs copper to enable it to be safely secreted from the body.

That is why it is important that you get balanced nutrition, since zinc alone would be less effective that a supplement containing both zinc and copper. It is these synergisms of vitamins with other vitamins, vitamins with minerals and minerals with other minerals that most people are unaware of, and if they purchased the separate nutrients they would not be effective. However, if purchased as discount multivitamin and mineral supplements they are effective and you will also pay less!

Mention was previously made of antioxidant enzymes produced by the body. Here is another example of the necessity for a multivitamin and mineral supplement. In order for these enzymes to be activated as antioxidants, and enable them to mop up free radicals, they need manganese. Without manganese they are powerless.

Another supplement that is good for healthy eyesight is ginkgo biloba, known for its effect on memory. It actually aids memory by acting as an antioxidant for the free radicals that can ravage the brain especially in the elderly, and also by improving the blood flow in the brain. It is also effective in maintaining the health of your eyes. It helps to improve the blood flow to the eye in the same way as it does to the brain, and can help to slow down the deterioration of your retina.

Suma extract is an adaptogen, which is a powerful antioxidant in its own right without needing the presence of any synergistic substances. Suma is used in many commercially available eyesight supplements, and a further benefit of this plant, if you can call it that, is that it is believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac! You should therefore be careful how you use it. Perhaps bilberry, another antioxidant would be better for you.

Apart, perhaps, from suma, all of these antioxidants and minerals are commonly available, and can normally be found at discount prices and so reducing the cost to you of protecting your eyesight. The antioxidants will also protect from some forms of heart disease and cell disruption that can lead to cancer.

The benefits of discount vitamins for healthy eyesight, therefore, also provide wider ranging benefits for your body in general, and are not only restricted to your eyesight.