Carrots, carotene and seeing in the dark

Authors: Smith, Wayne¹; Mitchell, Paul²; Lazarus, Ross³

Source: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Ophthalmology, Volume 27, Numbers 3-4, June 1999 , pp. 200-203(4)

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Abstract:

Should older people eat more carrots, or at least increase their carotene intake to prevent loss of night vision? Participants in the Blue Mountains Eye Study were asked about their ability to see in the dark. Nutrient and food intake were estimated from a food frequency questionnaire. Associations between self-reported poor night vision and estimated nutrient intake were investigated using logistic regression. Poor night vision among women was associated with higher beta-carotene (P for trend = 0.03) and total vitamin A intake (P for trend = 0.048). Increased consumption of carrots, but no other food high in beta-carotene, was associated with significant increased reporting of poor night vision among women (P for trend = 0.04). While carrot intake may protect against difficulty in seeing at night, it is probable that people attributing poor driving ability to their vision may be eating more carrots in the hope of reversing this decline.

Keywords: Blue Mountains Eye Study; carotene; causation; diet; night vision; vitamin A

Document Type: Original article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1606.1999.00187.x

Affiliations: 1: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2: Department of Ophthalmology and, 3: Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Publication date: 1999-06-01