Maintaining eye health is important for your overall quality of life. Sight can affect everything from reading and performing tasks at work to your ability to communicate effectively with others. If you have certain problems with your vision, there are ways to improve your vision naturally without lenses or surgery.
While there are no natural remedies that can fix conditions like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism permanently, healthy habits such as regular exercise and a more nutritious diet can help improve the health of your eyes.
The role of a healthy lifestyle
- Having a problem with eyesight is very common. About 12 million people age 40 and older in the United States have vision impairment of some kind, while approximately 6.8% of children under 18 have a diagnosed eye condition.
- Embracing healthy lifestyle changes can be an easy way to treat some vision problems. Recent research has shown that people who have achieved improvements in cardiovascular health through a heart-healthy diet and exercise have lower odds of developing eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.
Eating (following( a healthy diet
- To ward off degenerative and blinding conditions such as glaucoma, your eyes need vitamins and nutrients. Antioxidant vitamins such as vitamins A, C, E, and mineral zinc can help stop the progression of age-related macular degeneration, for example.
- Lutein and zeaxanthin are nutrients that you can find in green leafy vegetables, as well as other nutrients, such as eggs. They have been shown to be helpful in reducing the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for visual development and retinal functioning
You can find a lot of these essential nutrients in 3 common foods:
Omega-3 fatty acids are components found in walnuts, cold-water fish, and flaxseeds.
- Zinc can be found in oysters 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 and sunflower seeds as well as peanut butter.
Principles of healthy eating
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise is great for your overall health, especially for your eyes. In one study, for example, people who did moderate exercise on a regular basis were 25% less likely to infected with glaucoma.
- Another reason why exercise is so important for eye health is that health conditions that can result from lack of physical activity and weight gain can have significant repercussions on the health of your eyes. One example is diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes is more common in people who are obese. People with diabetes should have an extensive eye exam once a year or more, the ophthalmologist explained. Unlike diabetic retinopathy, diabetes can make you two to five times more likely to develop cataracts and double your risk of open-angle glaucoma.
- Incorporating regular walks, biking, or doing light exercise at home may be ways to be more active and ultimately protect your eyes.
Prevention of obesity
Health Condition Management
- Some chronic conditions can have an impact on the health of your eyes. If you are treating a chronic condition, you should ask your healthcare provider how it affects your body as a whole.
Common conditions that can affect eye health include:
- Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes: can lead to diabetic retinopathy, a possible cause of vision loss or blindness.6 Following physical activity as part of your regular routine, as well as a diabetes-friendly diet, can help manage the condition and avoid related vision problems 7
- High blood pressure (high blood pressure): increases a person’s risk of stroke and heart disease, two of the leading causes of death in the United States.8 High blood pressure can cause hypertensive retinopathy, which is damage to blood vessels that can lead to blurred vision and even blindness. Maintaining your blood pressure can help you avoid these eye conditions.
- Other chronic conditions that can affect your eyesight include high cholesterol, asthma, cancer, and depression. Chronic health conditions tend to be more common in older adults with some type of visual impairment than in those with better eye health. Given the gradual aging of the U.S. population, a significant public health burden is expected to emerge as more people deal with visual impairment along with chronic conditions.
- It is important to be in contact with your Ophthalmologist and primary care provider if you notice any changes in your vision, especially if you have one of the chronic conditions associated with eye problems.
Visit your Ophthalmologist
- If you find yourself suffering from sudden blurry vision, double vision, poor vision, loss of peripheral vision, eye pain, discharge or pus in or around your eye, seek emergency medical attention.
- If your vision seems to change gradually, visit your ophthalmologist for an eye check to evaluate your vision. They will be able to determine if this is a symptom of a more serious underlying condition.
Talk to your ophthalmologist about things like:
As with other aspects of your health, it’s important to ask your ophthalmologist any questions and tell them about any changes you may experience in your vision.
In general, adults who do not have any risk factors for eye disease should have a basic eye examination at age 40, and every two to four years until age 54. Adults between the ages of 55 and 64 who do not have eye-related risk factors 11- The disease should undergo an eye examination every one to three years, and then every year or two thereafter.
Using eye protection
- It is important to do what you can to protect your eyes from harm. Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can do great damage to our eyes. It is believed that sun damage can contribute to the formation of cataracts.
You should wear sunglasses when you’re outside, not just on sunny days.
- It is recommended to find sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection, have scratch-resistant lenses, and are free from defects that may actually interfere with your vision while wearing them. It 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.
- Choose the best sunglasses to prevent cataracts and other eye problems
Rest your eyes - You should give your eyes a break every now and then. Visual impairment, or eye strain, is when your eyes are sore, tired, or painful, especially after looking at a computer screen or phone for a long time. It can occur when you use the muscles that control your eye movements for a long time.
- You can try to rest your eyes using the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, move your eyes to look at something at least 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds.
- You can also rest your eyes by changing the lighting in your room. Stay 25 inches away from the screen when you stare at one.
Quit smoking
- Not only is smoking a serious risk factor for lung cancer and other diseases, but it can also harm your eyesight. Smoking can make your eyes rough, red, and especially stinging. It also increases the chance of developing cataracts.
- Smoking can lead to a number of different eye diseases and/or worsen them, leading to vision loss and blindness.
- Smoking is associated with a higher risk of glaucoma.
– If you’re pregnant, smoking increases your baby’s likelihood of bacterial meningitis, a serious brain infection.
Do eye exercises work?
- Eye exercises can relieve discomfort or irritation, but they will not cure eye diseases or correct vision.
- Ophthalmologists sometimes recommend vision therapy to develop or sharpen visual skills or change the way people process visual information. They usually consist of exercises performed during office visits and at home over a period of two months.
- Depending on your condition, you may also be given training glasses, saws, strainer targets, or balancing plates to help test and improve your vision.
Different types of vision treatment include: 18
- Orthodontic vision treatment: It includes a series of exercises performed weekly for several months. The exercises are aimed at improving the function of the microscope and are guided in the office and are performed at home.
- Behavioral/Perceptual Vision treatment: Eye exercises can be done to improve visual processing.
- Vision therapy: These exercises may prevent the development of nearsightedness
A word from Ibsar specialist center
Improving your eyesight is something you can control through lifestyle habits, such as healthy eating, exercising regularly, and using proper eye protection when exposed to sunlight. It is important to stay informed about the health of your eyes by having regular eye exams, and if your vision suddenly changes or worsens, consult your and have your ophthalmologist and have your eyes examined. This can help identify any eye problems early, and also give you peace of mind.