Improve Your Vision Using Diet, Eye Exercise And Herbs

As we age, it is a fact of life that we can expect to lose more and more of our vision. As we get older It seems that every time we go in for a eye check-up the optomestrist tell us we need to change to a stronger perscription or have another expensive treatment done. Eye care today is a multi-billion dollar industry, there is even a radio commercial where Tiger Woods tells of how free he now feels while playing golf after undergoing eye Lasik surgery, no longer having to rely on contact lenses. There are however alternative ways to maintain and improve vision which should end up saving you money in the long run. The following are the three most popular and least expensive ways to maintain and improve your vision.

Practicing eye exercises is one way to improve your vision. The muscles of the eyes work like any muscle in the body, the more they are exercised the stronger they become. There are a few eye excises that are recommended to begin with. The first involves shifting your eyes by slowly looking to the right, then up and down, and finally to the left. You should then roll your eyes in a complete circle. The second involves placing a finger closely in front of your face and allowing your eyes follow it as you moves it up, down and from side to side. For best results you should practice these at least once a day while not wearing contact lenses. Another really simple exercise you can do involves closing your eyes tightly and opening them up slowly and repeatedly. If your eyes begin to feel tired you can finish these exercises with a technique called the palming method, created by a fellow named Dr. William Bates. To do this, close your eyes and cover them with the palm of your hands. The heels of the palm should be rested on the cheekbone underneath the eye. This technique can also be used any time of the day to provide relief to tired eyes as needed. It is important to avoid staring for an extended time at any one object, especially bright objects such as computers and television screens as this can stress the eye muscles. The basic aim of doing these exercises is to tone the muscles of the eye by deliberately moving them around throughout the day. The technique is still useful even if you want to close your eyelids while moving your eyes around.

Diet and nutrition, like in all aspects of health, also play a vital role in maintaining your vision. Diets deficient in vitamins, especially A, B1 and B2, may result in poor vision later on in life so it is important to eat foods rich in these vitamins. Vitamin A supports healthy eye function and the B group vitamins maintain the health of the optic nerve. You should definitely include plently of fresh friuts, vegetables, nuts and seeds in your diet in order to obtain adequate quantities of these nutrients. Vitamin C and E are important to the eye health as well. These two vitamins protect the eyes from free radical damage, reduce intraocular pressure and help to support the immune system. Zinc may also helpful for maintaining good eye health as zinc deficiency has been found in people with detached retinas. Multivitamins can be taken if sufficient levels of these vitamins are not included in your daily diet. But by far the best way for your body to absorb these vitamins is to consume plently of good, healthy foods such as beetroot, blueberry, broccoli, carrot, corn, onions, oranges, squash, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, and water cress. These foods naturally contain good levels of the vitamins needed to maintain eye health.

Herbs are yet an another way to help improve your vision. Many natural health practitioners believe that taking herbs, along with a healthy diet and lifestyle, can maintain or even improve vision. By increasing the blood flow to your eye muscles and limiting eye strain using herbal remedies you can maintain the overall health of the eye and delay any loss in vision. This is important both as we age (as it is the elderly who are most risk of losing their vision) and while we are young (to keep your eyes in optimum working order). Damage to the retina is one of the leading causes of vision loss. There are a number of herbs that can help to reduce retinal deterioration. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), has antioxidants which help protect the eye from capillary fragility and free radical damage. According to research, Ginkgo (Gingko biloba) seems to improve retinal deterioration and increase blood flow to the eyes. Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) can help with relaxing small blood vessels in the eye. Other herbs such as Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) and Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) have been mentioned as potentially helpful in maintaining eye health as well.

Research suggests that those who gained improved vision from these techniques did so after long-term use. So if you are expecting immediate results, these options may not be for you. However, you lose nothing when trying these methods, especially if you grow the herbs yourself. Combined these natural alternatives to improve your vision may not only help your eyesight but can also be beneficial to your overall health. If you want to maintain the vision that you have it is equally as important to practice a healthy lifestyle by avoiding smoking which can lead to cataracts, wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun, and avoid reading under insufficient lighting to reduce eye stress.