vitamin
Vitamin A
Retinol/retinyl palmitate, a fat-soluble vitamin essential for vision, immune function, skin health, and cellular differentiation. Important for maintaining healthy epithelial tissues.
What it’s good for
Vitamin A for Blurry Vision
Strong2 studies · 2 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Your eyes use vitamin A to build the pigment that lets you see in dim light.
Dose: 2500–5000 IU
Vitamin A for Acne
Evidence2 studies · 2 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Keeps skin cells shedding properly so pores do not clog, and calms oil production.
Dose: 5000–10000 IU
Vitamin A for Eye Strain
Not verified2 studies · 1 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Why it gets suggested: Vitamin A keeps the cells that make the wet layer of your tear film healthy.
Dose: 2500–5000 IU
Why we could not verify it: No RCT was found testing oral vitamin A for eye strain (asthenopia) or visual fatigue. A systematic review of 9 RCTs on nutritional supplementation for myopia and visual fatigue identified carotenoids (crocetin, lutein, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin) and anthocyanin-rich extracts as the only supplements with signal for eye strain — oral vitamin A is absent. The two papers already in the database both fail on route (ophthalmic drops, not oral) and indication (dry eye disease and corneal xerophthalmia from vitamin A deficiency, not eye strain). Searched PubMed, Cochrane, and web. No qualifying trial found in any form of vitamin A for eye strain.
Vitamin A for Dry Skin
Not verified1 study · 1 supporting · 0 against
8 safety notes
Why it gets suggested: Skin needs vitamin A to renew itself properly and to keep its oil glands working.
Dose: 2500–5000 IU
Why we could not verify it: No RCT was found testing oral vitamin A (in any form) for dry skin or xerosis as a primary or secondary endpoint. The available oral vitamin A trials target skin aging (combination with topical retinoic acid, 2023 MDPI trial), cancer prevention (squamous cell carcinoma prevention, retinol 25,000 IU/day), sun-damaged skin cellular changes (DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-03-0188), or acne. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs on oral supplements for skin moisturising identified 66 trials but focused on collagen, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid — not vitamin A. Critically, at high doses (300,000–500,000 IU), retinol toxicity manifests as xerosis (dry skin) and cheilitis, suggesting the