Eye Health

We all take our vision for granted, but without it the daily activities we enjoy would drastically change. Just think about losing the ability to gaze into the eyes of your loved ones, or have the freedom to go for a walk or a drive by yourself. I am not saying that those with impaired vision don’t have fulfilling lives, but in a lot of cases they have to work harder at it than the average person.

Most people expect their eyesight to get worse as they get older. Not only do we expect things like cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration but the overall fading of our seeing capabilities. 

Modern living has taught us that these are practically inevitable. What if modern living is part of the problem?

Things that have been shown to reduce our ability to see include an unhealthy diet, stress, eye strain, and lack of aerobic exercise. All of these things impact other areas of our lives as well.

Diet

For good eye health a diet low in processed foods and high in raw fruits and vegetables seems to be the best. Foods that are especially good for eyesight include those high in antioxidants such as

• Dark leafy greens,
• carrots,
• pumpkin,
• sweet potatoes,
• yellow peppers
• egg yolks
• carrots

A special group of antioxidant rich fruits contain high levels of antioxidants and have shown benefits for eye health. These foods include

• Blueberries,
• black currant,
• acai
• goji berries
• Bilberries
• cranberry,
• blackberry,
• grape,
• raspberry
• wild cherry.

They also include those that are high in sulfur, lecithin and cysteine which include

• garlic,
• onions,
• shallots,
• leeks,
• tree nuts,
• dairy,
• coconut and
• legumes

Foods that provide abundant essential fatty acids support cell membranes, which sharpen vision. Most cold water fish fall into this group. Purslane is a herb that is abundant in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Foods high in Vitamins C and E, but also contain important trace minerals have been shown to be helpful. These include

• Citrus fruits,
• broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Tree nuts
• Pastured beef
• Wild game
• Eggs
• Turmeric

Exercise

There are two types of exercise that is beneficial to eyesight.  Aerobic exercise has been shown to lower inner eye pressure and improve blood flow to the retina and optic nerve.

Simple things all seem to have some benefit.

• warming your eyes with warm hands,
• purposefully rolling your eyes in a circular movement and going both directions, 
• practice focusing on an object as it moves closer then farther away,
• rubbing your temples to reduce stress
• looking through a pin hole several times per day
• purposely relaxing your eye muscles by looking as far as possible into the distance
• removing negative emotions and thoughts (these tend to tighten all muscles including those of the eyes)
• practice relaxation and meditation
• practice EFT for stress management

None of these things are as quick as a new pair of reading glasses or even going in for surgery. They are also all good for our overall health, which surgery can’t claim. Even if we look a little silly rolling our eyes in circles or moving our finger in and out in front of our eyes what do we have to lose? If all these things together don’t help you have at least improved your overall health. If they do work you may have improved your eyesight and kept a little more of your personal freedoms.

Sources:

http://www.naturalnews.com/046102_cataracts_vision_problems_eye_health.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/20/bates-method-vision-program.aspx?e_cid=20140720Z1_SNL_Art_1&utm_source=snl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20140720Z1&et_cid=DM52485&et_rid=591768765

http://www.naturalnews.com/046453_vision_cardio_activity_exercise.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/046557_eye_health_vision_macular_degeneration.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/047905_blueberries_antioxidants_eyesight.html

http://www.fhfn.org/improve-your-eyesight-using-these-9-foods/

http://www.naturalnews.com/047987_eye_health_poor_vision_nutritious_food.html