Green tea has multiple health benefits to offer, but did you know how much it helps our eyes?

According to the Tea Association of USA Inc., tea is the most consumed drink in the world after water. Green tea specifically is renowned for its health properties, even those for the eyes.

Green Tea and Eye Health

Green tea comes from the leaves of a plant called Camellia sinensis and stays unfermented - so it keeps the integrity of its inherent antioxidants. Green tea is packed with powerful eye-healthy nutrients like a flavonoid called gallocatechin - which collects in the retina and helps protect it from harmful blue light. Zeaxanthin and lutein, two other important antioxidants for the eye, can also be found in small amounts in green tea. Green tea extract has also been shown to help improve occasional dry eye by supporting the tissues on the ocular surface and inhibiting a protein called MMP-9 which has been proven to be a major contributor of occasional dry eye.

If you're not a big tea drinker, that's ok! Sign up for our monthly eye-healthy recipes to learn more ways to incorporate this and other vision-focused nutrients into your diet.

Sources:

1. http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/green-tea
2. http://yoursightmatters.com/green-tea-and-eye-health/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10693912
4. http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/wellness/preventing-illness/5-top-foods-for-eye-health
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10572924
6. https://www.sharecare.com/health/tea-health/is-green-tea-beneficial-for-eye-health 
7. http://givemesight.org/how-good-is-green-tea-for-your-eyes/