Vitamin D is also critical for eye health. From improving tear function to reducing the risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, vitamin D has a positive effect on eyesight in many ways.
Vitamin D is imperative for protecting our eyes from diseases. It's known to prevent AMD, glaucoma, dry eye syndrome and cataracts. It also enables your eyes to heal from injury. Studies have shown it to have antineoplastic properties; meaning, it fights cancer.
Like many nutrients, the amount of vitamin D needed varies with age, and people over 70 may need more. "Taking some vitamin D is OK for an aging population," says Sporny, "but too much vitamin D can cause damage to blood vessels, eye tissue and kidneys."
Can vitamin D deficiency affect eyesight? Dry eyes could be a sign of vitamin D deficiency. When the eyes become dry as a result of low vitamin D levels, it may also become more difficult to produce tears. The eyes might feel gritty, sore or itchy and vision could become blurred.
As you can see, it is not just vitamin D3 that is responsible for maintaining a healthy pair of eyes. But nonetheless, the benefits that come from taking in more vitamin D3 are legion. Making sure to have at least 3,000 IU of vitamin D3 is enough to keep the eyes working properly.
Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation as an adjuvant to routine dry eye treatment improves ocular surface hemostasis parameters, results in better tear stability and a more improved tear osmolarity in patients with vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is also critical for eye health. From improving tear function to reducing the risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, vitamin D has a positive effect on eyesight in many ways.
“Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months time. Vitamin D with a strength of 1000-2000 international units daily is the recommended dose for most adults,” Dr. Ropte says. Most multivitamins contain vitamin D, so extra supplementation isn't always necessary.
There's no set time of day that's best to take vitamin D supplements. Some people say taking vitamin D supplements at night is an insomnia risk. There's no research to confirm this, but you might want to take your supplement earlier in the day if you think it's screwing with your sleep.
The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity might progress to bone pain and kidney problems, such as the formation of calcium stones.
Some side effects of taking too much vitamin D include weakness, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, and others. Taking vitamin D for long periods of time in doses higher than 4000 IU (100 mcg) daily is possibly unsafe and may cause very high levels of calcium in the blood.
Disturbed or blurred vision can also occur as a result of a Vitamin B12 deficiency. This happens when the deficiency causes damage to the optic nerve that leads to your eyes.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
If your blood levels are exceptionally low, you may need higher doses that should be used under the direction of a healthcare provider. In patients with vitamin D levels less than 20 ng/mL, start with 50,000 IUs of vitamin D3 once a week for 6 to 8 weeks.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].
Although there is no scientific evidence that vitamin D can have a direct effect on the under-eye area, it is believed that puffy eyes and dark circles prevail in people deficient in vitamin D, particularly females aged 40+.
Without enough vitamin A, your eyes cannot produce enough moisture to keep them properly lubricated. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children worldwide. An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children become blind every year because of vitamin A deficiency.
Blurred vision can be caused by eye conditions, including: difficulty focusing your eyesight, such as with near-sightedness or far-sightedness. astigmatism (when the surface of the eye isn't curved properly) presbyopia (when your eyes find it harder to focus as you age)
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:
Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
Having inadequate levels of vitamin D may correlate with unintentional weight gain. A study on women over the age of 65 found that participants with a lower vitamin D level experienced more weight gain. A systematic review of 23 different studies found similar associations between vitamin D deficiency and obesity.
Melatonin production relies on vitamin D: Vitamin D helps the body produce melatonin, a hormone that supports sleep. Low levels of vitamin D could result in low levels of melatonin, leading to sleep problems.