Improve Eyesight Naturally

Eyes help us to see all the beautiful objects in this world. But many people face several conditions where they may not see clearly or suffer blindness due to several diseases related to the eyes. Few of these conditions are age-related while others are the result of carelessness or accidents.

Common diseases that affect the eyes are macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, retinopathy, night blindness, near/farsightedness, floaters, eye dryness, etc. It is possible to prevent, delay or reduce most of these eye problems and diseases by adopting healthy habits and few precautions.

Following are important tips to improve eyesight naturally.

Eat Vitamins, Minerals and Carotenoids

Several vitamins play major role in preventing or even reversing major eye diseases. Vitamin A plays important role in preventing and treating eye dryness and night blindness while its effectiveness has been proved against few eye problems related to cornea and retina of eye. The combination of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, copper and zinc reduces risks of AMD (age-related macular degeneration) significantly. Lutein and zeaxantine (carotenoids) also play important role in reducing risks of large number of eye problems including AMD, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy etc. These nutrients related to eye health can easily be obtained by consumption of animal and plant foods.

Regular Exercise

Regular exercise decreases eye health risks directly as well as indirectly. Regular cardio exercise assists in providing healthy and nutritious blood to all body parts including eyes. Apart from that, the exercise also reduces common problems associated with eye health like obesity, cardiovascular problems, diabetes etc. Therefore, the positive effect of exercise is evident on eye problems like AMD, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

Check Blood Sugar Level

Uncontrolled diabetes is the major cause of eye problem known as diabetic retinopathy. It affects retina of the eye and can result in blindness if the condition persists for long. The symptom of this disease is constant bleeding from eyes. The only way to prevent this disease is by checking and controlling sugar level, blood pressure and cholesterol in the blood in case of diabetes. [1]

Maintain Healthy Blood Flow

Uninterrupted blood flow towards eyes is necessary for proper functioning of eyes. Deprivation of blood even for short interval of time cause severe damage to eyes. Eye stroke is a condition that is the result of interruption of blood flow towards retina of eye. It can cause blindness within minutes or hours. Smoking, kidney diseases, malfunctioning of arteries are few of the common causes of this condition. One can prevent this condition by maintaining healthy blood flow through heart, lungs, arteries and kidney health.

Avoid UV Rays

Apart from skin, UV (ultraviolet) rays are also extremely harmful for your eyes. Too much exposure to UV rays from sun can cause serious eye conditions like cataracts, eye cancer and snow blindness. The best protection against UV rays is to wear wide-brimmed hat and UV-protective sunglasses while outside in the sun. UV rays are most powerful between midday and early evening. Cloudy weather can’t prevent from UV rays. Tanning beds are as dangerous as UV rays from sun. [2]

Prevent Eye Injury

Eye is one of the most sensitive parts of the body and extra care is required to protect eye from mechanical and chemical injuries. Such eye injuries are caused by extensive rubbing of eye, penetration of foreign objects, mechanical blow, chemicals etc. These injuries can result in scratched eye, chemical burn, eye swelling, eye bleeding, and other severe problems that can cause several vision problems and even total blindness in severe cases. The best prevention technique is to wear protective glasses while playing, or in environment where there is risk of eye injury. [3]

20-20-20 Rule

Electronic devices are largely in use nowadays thanks to their economic importance and entertainment. But continuously looking at these devices (computers, smartphones, TVs etc.) can negatively affect eye health and causes eye strain. Symptoms of this condition are dry eyes, headache, blurred and double vision etc. A simple method to avoid this issue is by adopting 20-20-20 rule i.e. looking 20 ft away for 20 seconds after looking at electronic devices for 20 minutes. [4]

Quit Smoking

Smoking is not only harmful for heart and lungs but it also produces negative impact on eyes. Heavy smokers are more likely to suffer from eye problems like cataracts, AMD (age-related macular degeneration), diabetic retinopathy, dry eye syndrome and glaucoma. Continuous smoking despite having any of these eye problems can result in vision loss. [5]

Get Necessary Sleep

Sleep deprivation creates several problems in body. Eyes are also affected in case of insomnia and other issues related to sleep. Studies have proved that at least one common sleep disorder is related to eye health. Obstructive sleep apnea is related to glaucoma, floppy eyelid syndrome and other eye health issues. These studies show that circadian rhythm disorders can cause blindness in affected persons. It is therefore necessary to treat insomnia and other sleep related problems for protection of eyesight. [6]

Reduce Weight

Various studies have proved that obesity has negative impact on various eye conditions. These include glaucoma, cataract, retinopathy and others. Patients suffering from these issues can lower their risks by reducing their BMI. [7]