Hundreds of thousands of people go blind every year due to a deficiency of this vitamin.

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Vitamin deficiencies are the root cause of many diseases, so monitoring your vitamin levels should be a priority for your health. Since our bodies produce vitamins from certain nutrients, a balanced diet can meet a wide range of health needs. However, when the body is deprived of some essential nutrients, its functions become impaired.

Some deficiencies can be so devastating that vision can be permanently lost.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vitamin A deficiency contributes to blindness by making the cornea very dry, thereby damaging the retina and cornea. Studies show that low levels of vitamin A not only affect vision, but are also one of the causes of child mortality.

The role of vitamin A in eye health is well known. The eye needs a number of pigments so that the retina can function and perceive the full spectrum of light.

When vitamin A levels fall too low, the production of these pigments stops, causing night blindness. But the cornea is another part of the eye that relies heavily on vitamin A.

Without enough vitamin A, the eyes dry out early because they can't produce enough moisture to keep them lubricated.

Vitamin A can be obtained from animal products, so eating a well-balanced diet will greatly reduce your risk of deficiency. Meat, fish, poultry, and dairy products are excellent sources of vitamin A.

Some plant foods also contain this nutrient, such as fruits and vegetables that contain beta-carotene. These fruits and vegetables are usually red, orange, and green in color and include carrots, mangoes, apricots, tomatoes, peas, and spinach.