Myth Buster: Want to See Better? Eat Lots of Carrots

Myth: Eating carrots improves eyesight.

Facts: Mama may have been wrong. Although carrots are full of beta carotene and vitamin A, which are good for eye health, eating them in excess will not improve vision, says Joan Salge Blake, media spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Carrots are not miraculous. They will not improve a diet that is already adequate in vitamin A,” says Salge Blake.

Neither will the vitamins in carrots “reverse or treat the damage that has already been done to the eyes,” says Thomas Steinemann, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University. However, even though the beta carotene found in carrots is not a cure for macular degeneration, the number one cause of poor vision in Americans over 65, it may help slow the process, Steinemann says.