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Tips to improve your vision naturally

As we get older eye disorders like macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and poor vision seem to become inevitable. Many doctors don’t intervene until they have become advanced, simply because they have been taught that the only intervention is surgery. However, new studies are showing that nutrition and lifestyle may play a much bigger part in the health of our eyes than we previously thought and these conditions may be preventable or even reversible with proper lifestyle interventions.

Here are 8 tips to improve your vision and the health of your body.

Eat your antioxidants

The eyes contain a very high concentration of antioxidants which help to protect them from the oxidative damage that light exposure causes. As we get older the antioxidant defences can become overwhelmed which results in age-related eye problems. Two of the antioxidants that are found in high concentrations in the macula and retina of the eyes are lutein and zeaxanthin, which are part of the carotenoid family. These antioxidants are found in green leafy vegetables, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables, cabbage, grapes, eggs and wild salmon.

Eat more protein

Studies have shown that in parts of the world where people suffer from protein deficiencies, cataracts and other eye conditions are much more common. Improve your intake of high quality protein sources by consuming grass-fed meat, fish, legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds on a daily basis.

Get moving

Exercising each day for as little as 20 minutes can help to relieve blood pressure in the capillaries of the eye which has been linked to glaucoma, cataracts and poor eye sight.

Consume omega 3 fatty acids

The essential omega-3 fatty acids have an important part in eye health because the omega-3 fat DHA is concentrated in the retina and provides structural integrity to the cell membranes in the eyes. Eating more omega-3 foods, like oily fish, nuts and seeds can help to slow macular degeneration and support eye health.

Wear sunglasses

We know that the main cause of free radical damage in the eye results from frequent exposure to intense sunlight. To protect your eyes from this kind of damage wear sunglasses when spending prolonged periods outdoors.

Rest your eyes

Nowadays many of us spend countless hours staring at our devices, whether it is a TV, computer screen, tablet or smart phone. These devices emit a blue light that isn’t ideal for our eyes and combined with the small print and images on the screen this leads to eye strain and fatigue. It’s important to rest your eyes by focusing on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes when you spend a lot of time in front of a device. Make sure that you get about 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night as this allows the eyes to rest and repair.

Don’t smoke

Smoking causes the body to produce large amounts of free radicals which damages the small capillaries in the eyes and affects vision as well as increases the demand for anti-oxidants throughout the body. If you want to maintain good eye sight then you should stop smoking immediately and avoid as much second-hand smoke as you can.

Manage your blood sugar

People with diabetes, insulin resistance and blood sugar imbalances often have problems with vision as excess sugar in the blood damages blood vessels in the retina and also pulls fluid from the lens of your eye, affecting focus. To prevent or reverse eye damage from high blood sugar levels you should keep blood sugar in a healthy range by taking the correct medication, exercising and avoiding refined sugar and carbohydrates.

Sources

http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/mao-shing-ni-lac-dom-phd/3-natural-ways-improve-vision
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/05/foods-eyesight-improvement.aspx