What are bilberry vitamins? What benefits do they have for your eyes and how can they help in macular degeneration treatment? Read this to find out why you’ll want to make sure bilberry is in the supplement you take for your vision.

Bilberry is a plant (vaccinium myrtillus), and its fruit is used in eyesight vitamins.

We picked and ate bilberries when I was growing up in England. We found them growing close to the ground on hillsides - small, round, dark purple-blue edible berries, on plants with small leaves and little pinkish flowers. Bilberries are related to blueberries and huckleberries and many more Vaccinium species.

They have an age-old reputation for improving vision.

Bilberries improve your:

    •    night vision
    •    vision in dim light
    •    sharpness of vision
    •    fine detail work
    •    intense use of eyes, like in daily computer work

How do bilberry vitamins do this? They:

    •    strengthen the retina and support its healthy function
    •    improve the strength and integrity of blood vessels
    •    reduce the risk of damage to the microcirculation of the eye, by protecting blood vessels
    •    improve circulation
    •    contain high levels of antioxidants

It has been claimed that bilberries contain the highest level of antioxidants of any berry.

The blue-purple pigment of bilberries is caused by their high concentration of the bioflavonoid anthocyanin. This is a powerful antioxidant which has a special affinity for your eyes.

Anthocyanins protect body tissues, particularly blood vessels, from oxidizing agents. (See our posts on Antioxidant Nutrition).

History of improved night vision

British pilots in the Royal Air Force during World War II used to eat bilberry jam. They claimed it improved their night vision.

Bilberry vitamins are used to treat eye conditions including night blindness, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, as well as macular degeneration. Here’s just one example of a study of how bilberry vitamins help in macular degeneration:

Researchers gave bilberry extract to 31 people with various retinal problems including wet macular degeneration. The abnormal capillaries in their eyes became stronger and less likely to leak and cause scarring. (Scharrer, A. et al. "Anthocyanosides in the Treatment of Reinopathies," Klin. Monastabl Augenheilkd (German) (1981) 178:386).

Because bilberry can thin the blood (which is beneficial in many instances) you must be careful if you have any bleeding disorders. Consult your healthcare practitioner if this applies to you.