Last Updated on June 13, 2025 by Aaron Barriga
One of the most common tricks that parents use to encourage or trick their kids to eat vegetables is to amplify the ‘good’ that a particular vegetable can provide. The common ones include eating spinach for strength, broccoli to make you smarter, drinking milk will make you taller, etc.
But one of the oldest and most popular sayings remains – ‘Eat carrots to get excellent eyesight’. Tricking younger kids may be simpler, but there may come a time when they will start questioning the authenticity of such claims.
Let us delve into the history to see how this adage came into existence and became one of the most-used statements by parents across the world.
The History
Bugs Bunny’s favorite food became associated with strong eyesight during World War II when the British Royal Air Force managed to shoot down German aircraft even at night. The air force fabricated a story of how their skilled fighter pilot, John “Cats’ eyes” Cunningham, attributed his excellent night vision to a carrot-enriched diet.
Soon, everyone began to eat more carrots to get stronger night vision so that they could work in the dark as well. However, it turned out to be mere propaganda as the Air Force was, in fact, utilizing radar to locate the German bombers.
Why Should You Incorporate Carrots in Your Diet?
Even though it started as a myth, carrots do help in maintaining healthy eyes due to the presence of the following nutrients:
Vitamin A
It is extremely essential for healthy eyes. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a carotenoid pigment which is an essential precursor for vitamin A. If you don’t get enough Vitamin A, you risk getting cataracts, macular degeneration, and xerophthalmia (A disease characterized by dry eyes, corneal ulcers, and swollen eyelids). A deficiency in vitamin A also leads to blindness.
Lutein
This is an important antioxidant that is present in carrots. Food products that are rich in lutein are known to increase the pigment density in the macula. When the pigment density increases, the retina is protected more, thus reducing the risk of macular degeneration.
Also Read: What Foods Are Good for Your Eyes?
How Many Carrots is too Many Carrots?
Even though carrots are rich in nutrients, bingeing on them won’t improve your eyesight significantly. Once there is enough beta-carotene in your body, it will no longer convert to vitamin A.
In fact, it’ll regulate the excess vitamin A to prevent the accumulation of toxic levels of the substance in the body. Though there is no ‘ideal number’ of carrots one should consume, it can safely be said that having a moderate amount in your daily diet will be helpful.
Most eye and vision problems are either genetic, due to aging, disease, or an accident. Just eating carrots and infusing beta-carotene and lutein will not help in such a situation. The right medication and eye treatment are essential.
We can safely say that eating carrots every day will not sharpen your eyesight beyond a certain measure and will definitely not restore your vision to 20/20, nor can it correct certain optical deformities such as astigmatism, diseases like glaucoma, and conditions like strabismus.
If you have weak eyesight, using prescribed glasses or contact lenses is recommended. That definitely doesn’t mean that carrots don’t make a healthy snack – eat them to satiate those hunger pangs between meals and pack them in the lunches for your kids. But don’t let them believe that they can ditch their glasses just because they will get superman-like vision just by eating carrots.
Also Read: 12 Common Myths About Your Eyes and Vision with Reality
When your parents and grandparents told you to eat carrots for good vision, they weren’t entirely wrong. But if you are facing vision problems, visit a doctor instead of just relying on a carrot-rich diet.
Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK.
