Vision is defined by Merriam- Webster as "the act or power of seeing." Two simple things that you can do to improve your vision are eating a healthy diet and including eye exercises to help prevent stress and strain on the eyes and surrounding muscles. A healthy diet (see below for specific nutrients) has been shown to promote eye health and decrease the risk of certain eye diseases, including cataract formation and macular degeneration.
Good Nutrition
Step 1
Add foods to your diet that contain lutein/zeaxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, and zinc some of which can be found in eggs, fish, fruit, and vegetables such as spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, broccoli, and zucchini. See "Tool for Nutrients in Foods" under "Resources."
Step 2
Rest your eyes for 10 minutes after one hour of continuous reading or computer use (a 10/1 rule) .
Step 3
Refocus your eyes. When reading or using the computer, use the 20/20 rule. After 20 minutes of eye use, take time to refocus your eyes by looking into the distance for 20 seconds.
Step 4
Use an ancient yoga exercise for your eyes. Sit comfortably. Focus on your breathing. Imagine the face of a clock. Using your eyes, look up to 12, over to 3, down to 6, over to 9, then back up to 12. Reverse direction, up to 12, over to 9, down to 6, over to 3 and back up to 12. Repeat for 5 rotations.
Step 5
Rub your hands together briskly, take the hands with the palms facing towards your eyes and place them gently over your eyes. Feel the heat and relaxation for a few minutes.
Tips and Warnings
- You may want to explore vision therapy, a possible non surgical solution for vision difficulties such as blurred distance vision caused by muscle spasms, lazy eye, double vision, crossed eyes, and some reading and learning disabilities. (Reference # 4) For more information on vision and computer use, see the link for "Healthy Vision at the Computer" from the American Optometric Association.
- For any questions regarding the health of your eyes, or any changes in vision, consult a licensed eyecare professional.
