How Can You Improve Your Eyesight
While no natural remedy can permanently cure conditions such as myopia, farsightedness, and astigmatism, healthy habits like regular exercise and adopting a more nutritious diet can improve the health of your eyes.
Role of a healthy lifestyle
It is very common to have problems with eyesight. About 12 million people in the United States age 40 and older experience some form of vision loss, while about 6.8% of children under the age of 18 are living with a diagnosed eye condition.
Adopting healthy lifestyle changes can be an easy way to overcome some vision problems. Recent research has shown that people who achieved better heart health through a heart-healthy diet and exercise were less likely to develop eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. was.
Eating a healthy diet
To ward off degenerative, potentially blinding conditions like glaucoma, your eyes need vitamins and nutrients. For example, antioxidant vitamins such as vitamins A, C, and E and the mineral zinc may help prevent the progression of age-related macular degeneration.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are nutrients you can find in green leafy vegetables as well as other foods such as eggs. They help reduce the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for visual development and the functioning of the retina of the eye.
You can find many of these important nutrients in common foods:
- Omega-3 fatty acids are components of walnuts, cold-water fish, and flaxseed.
- Zinc can be found in shellfish and red meat.
- Some foods that contain vitamin A include cantaloupe, carrots, mangoes, and sweet potatoes.
- Vitamin C can be found in Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and oranges.
- Vitamin E is found in almonds, sunflower seeds, as well as in peanut butter.
Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise is great for your overall health, especially your eyes. In one study, for example, people who regularly engaged in moderate exercise were 25% less likely to develop glaucoma.
Another reason why exercise is important for eye health is that health conditions that can result from a lack of physical activity and weight gain can have a significant impact on your eye health. One example is diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is more common in obese people. People who have diabetes should have an eye exam once a year or more often, as indicated by their eye doctor. In addition to diabetic retinopathy, diabetes can make you two to five times more likely to develop cataracts and double your risk of open-angle glaucoma.
Regular jogging, biking, or doing light exercise at home can be ways to be more active and ultimately protect your eyes.
Management of Health Conditions
Some chronic conditions can affect the health of your eyes. If you are managing a chronic condition, you should ask your doctor how it can affect your entire body.
Common conditions that affect eye health include:
Diabetes type 1 and diabetes type 2
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Other chronic conditions that can affect your vision include high cholesterol, asthma, cancer, and depression. Chronic health conditions are more common in older adults who have some form of vision loss than those with better eye health. Given the slowly aging US population, a greater public health burden is expected to present itself as more people manage chronic conditions as well as vision loss.
It’s important to contact your eye doctor and primary doctor if you notice any changes in your vision, especially if you have one of the chronic conditions associated with eye problems.
Your Eye Doctor Visit
If you find yourself suddenly having blurred vision, double vision, low vision, If you notice a loss of central vision, eye pain, or experience discharge or pus in or around your eye, you should seek emergency medical attention.
If your vision is slowly changing, go to Your optometrist or ophthalmologist for an eye exam to assess your vision. They will be able to determine if this is a symptom of a more serious underlying condition.
Talk to your eye doctor about things like:
- Is it difficult to read the small print in a book?
- Do your eyes hurt?
- Do you have symptoms of conjunctivitis (pink eye)?
As with other aspects of your health, you must ask your eye doctor any questions you have and tell them about any changes in your vision.
In general, adults who do not have any risk factors for eye disease should have a baseline eye exam at age 40 and every two to four years until age 54. Adults aged 55 to 64 who do not have risk factors for eye disease should be screened every one to three years, and every one or two years thereafter.
Using Eye Protection
It’s important to do what you can to prevent damage to your eyes. Ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun can cause a lot of damage to our eyes. It is believed that sun damage can contribute to the formation of cataracts.
You should wear sunglasses whenever you are outside, not just on sunny days.
It is recommended that you find sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection, have lenses that are scratch-resistant, and free from blemishes that can actually interfere with your vision while wearing them. They should also have a large frame that covers most of the area around your eyes.
After cataract surgery, it is especially important to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.
Rest Your Eyes
You should give your eyes a break from time to time. Asthenopia, or eye strain, occurs when you have pain, fatigue, or pain in your eyes, especially after looking at a computer or phone screen for a long time. This can happen if you overuse the muscles that control your eye movements for a long time.
You can try to relax your eyes using the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, shift your eyes to look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
You can also relax your eyes by shifting the lighting of your room. Stay 25 inches away from the screen when you stare at someone.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is not only a dangerous risk factor for lung cancer and other diseases, but it can also damage your vision. Smoking can make your eyes especially scratchy, red, and stinging. It also increases the chances of getting cataracts.
Smoking can cause and/or make a variety of eye diseases worse, leading to vision loss and blindness.
Smoking is associated with a higher risk of glaucoma. Smokers and former smokers are also more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration, while smokers are also at greater risk for diabetic retinopathy.
If you are pregnant, smoking makes your baby five times more likely to be infected with bacterial meningitis, which is a serious infection of the brain.
Does Eye Exercises Work?
Eye exercises can reduce discomfort or irritation, but they will not cure eye diseases or correct vision.
Optometrists sometimes recommend vision therapy to develop or sharpen visual skills or to change the way people process visual information. This usually includes exercises that are conducted over the course of two months during office visits and at home.
Depending on your condition, you may also be given training glasses, prisms, filtered targets, or balance boards to help you test and improve your vision.
Different types of vision therapy include:
Orthopedic vision therapy
Behavioral/perceptual vision therapy
Vision therapy
Takeaway
Improving your eyesight is something you can control with lifestyle habits, such as eating healthy, exercising regularly, and using proper eye protection when exposed to sunlight. It’s important to maintain your eye health by getting regular eye exams, and if your vision suddenly changes or worsens, consult your eye doctor and have your eyes examined. This can help in catching any eye problems early, and can also give you peace of mind.