Age-related eye diseases are the leading cause of vision impairment in the U.S., and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause among older adults. With AMD, central vision is made less sharp, making the center of the field of vision blurry.

Of course, there are healthy habits you can pick up to support eye health, like wearing sunglasses when outdoors, limiting screen time when possible and staying physically active. Plus, eating foods like vitamin E-rich almonds and vitamin A-packed sweet potatoes can support healthy vision, too. In fact, lots of those eye-healthy foods are part of the dependable Mediterranean diet, which is one of the best overall diets you can adopt.

Researchers wondered if it could also be one of the best for eye health specifically, so they set out to explore the link between the Mediterranean diet and AMD. They published their findings in Nutrients. Here’s what they found.

How Was This Study Conducted?

This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Observational studies are those in which researchers simply observe associations between factors—like diet and diseases. In other words, they don’t randomly split participants up into groups, and there’s no control group involved. 

Researchers wanted to know if there was any relationship between the Mediterranean diet and AMD. Because this is a very specific area, they were only able to find eight studies that had previously been done that met their criteria. 

Sample sizes within these eight studies varied from 164 to 4,996 participants with ages ranging from 55 to 80 years. On average, over half were female. 

In considering the absence or presence of AMD, researchers used the Age-Related Eye Disease Study classification system—AREDS—to determine if participants had AMD. AREDS classifies AMD according to specific qualities, including the presence and size of drusen and pigment abnormalities in the eye. Drusen are yellow protein and lipid deposits that build up under the retina. 

For this systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers defined Mediterranean diet adherence as consistent and substantial adherence to high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and olive oil—the primary foods that make up the Mediterranean diet—with moderate wine consumption.

What Did This Study Find?

After collecting all the necessary data and running several statistical analyses, three primary results surfaced. 

First, the cross-sectional studies showed no significant association between the Mediterranean diet and AMD. But there’s a caveat with these studies, as the researchers state that weight distributions were imbalanced, which limited their interpretability. Weight distribution in a study refers to how the study population’s weight or BMI is distributed across different categories. For example, if the studies used mostly people with what is considered an unhealthy BMI and much fewer people with healthy BMIs, this can skew the results. 

The other two types of observational studies, however, showed strong associations between the Mediterranean diet and AMD. Case-control studies indicated a 34% reduction in AMD progression risk in those who adhered to the Mediterranean diet, and the prospective cohort studies suggested a 23% reduction. 

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

While we often focus on disease prevention of the heart and brain, the eyes are important, too. The good news is that the Mediterranean diet may have all these areas covered, as there is consistent evidence that it benefits almost every bodily system.

Regarding our eyes, two carotenoids are especially helpful for eye and vision health—lutein and zeaxanthin. These two powerful plant compounds are often found together in foods like leafy greens, corn, egg yolks and pistachios.

Other nutrients that support healthy vision include vitamins A, B, C and E, zinc, omega-3s and lycopene (another type of antioxidant). These nutrients are all found in foods popular in the Mediterranean diet, including fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, olive oil and fatty fish, like tuna and salmon.

If you’re convinced that you need to start incorporating more of these foods, we’ve got a comprehensive shopping list of foods included in the Mediterranean diet that you can take with you to the grocery store. Or if you want more guidance, check out one of our meal plans, all of which are designed by registered dietitians—like our 7-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for Beginners or 30-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan for Beginners. 

We’ve also got Mediterranean diet meal plans for specific goals or health conditions, like healthy aging, high blood pressure, better blood sugar and much more.    

The Bottom Line

This systematic review and meta-analysis found strong associations between the Mediterranean diet and reduced risk of AMD by up to 34%. The Mediterranean diet has consistently been ranked as the healthiest diet, thanks to its connection with better health and reduced disease risk—from lower risks of heart disease and diabetes to better recovery from long COVID and improved brain health.

Part of this eating pattern’s power is also in its flexibility—there is no one right way to engage in it. To start small, start swapping individual foods from the Mediterranean diet into your routine. For example, swap a packaged prepared dinner with a salmon dinner you’ve prepared each week or trade your daily afternoon candy bar and sweetened coffee drink for a piece of fruit and nuts. 

Over time, these small swaps may add up to big health changes. And if you’re ready to go all in, give one of our Mediterranean diet meal plans a try.