SheSue Experience

I love carrots, but my eyesight, as evidenced by prior posts, is not great.  Thus I decided to check out this myth.  I, like a lot of people, were brought up believing that eating carrots would improve your eyesight.

Welcome John “Cat’s Eyes” Cunningham.  In 1940, this British Royal Air Force captain became the first to shoot down an enemy plane using a newfangled invention called radar.  To keep it a secret, the British claimed that his ability to shoot down planes was because he had great eyesight due to his love of carrots.  The secret of radar was soon discovered, which should have explained the real reason why he could spot airplanes, but the carrot claim stuck.

High in beta-carotene which is a component of vitamin A, critical to vision, it is no wonder that the myth of carrots improving your eyesight has stayed around.  To add to the myth, countries where carrots and other sources of vitamins are scarce, poor vision is common.  But studies have shown that extra beta-carotene really doesn’t change one’s vision, or lack thereof.  The only variation in the study was to smokers.  Those who took the mega doses of beta-carotene actually improved their chances of not developing cataracts.

Should you stop eating carrots?  Heavens no, they are a great source of vitamins.  Instead you should stop smoking.