Human beings receive more than 90 percent of their information through the eyes. The trend towards natural health to deal with today’s ailments is garnering increased attention in the western world.
Improving your eyesight naturally is possible if you experience myopia, hyperopia or have an astigmatism. Before we dive into natural therapies for eye care improvement we will outline the most common vision problems affecting people today.
How the Eye Works
A quick anatomy lesson for those of you non doctors out there, the surface of the eye is called the cornea and behind it is the lens that focuses light. The aqueous humour is the transparent gel like substance that gives the eye its shape. The retina focuses information from the optical nerve to your brain enabling you to see.
Most Common Eye Problems
Myopia
Nearsightedness or the correct medical term myopia is the most common ailment affecting people with poor vision. The cause of nearsightedness is when the eyeball is more elongated than round, or the cornea the transparent part of the front of the eye is too curved. When light entering the eye is not focused properly the result is distant objects appearing blurred.
Myopia is most often diagnosed in young school age children beginning age 5 years and older. According to national statistics 30 percent of Canadians suffer from myopia. Reasons for myopia may be partly genetic, mounting evidence supports that environmental factors plays a larger part in poor vision. The development of the eyeball during adolescence results in children having to change their prescription for eyeglasses regularly until they reach 20 years of age. Based on research from the National Eye Institute(NIH) there is little change in vision for people aged 20 to 40 years old, small changes in prescription lenses are sometimes required however.
Signs and symptoms of myopia include headaches, eye strain and blurred vision for distant objects.
Hyperopia
Hyperopia or farsightedness is the result of the eyeball having a short shape or a cornea that is shaped more flat than curved. The result of a flat cornea is that far off objects appear clear whereas close objects appear blurry. Hyperopia is usually diagnosed latter in people than myopia. According to the NIH hyperopia affects 10 percent of Americans.
Signs and symptoms of hyperopia are the following: headaches, eyestrain, and blurred vision with close objects. Hyperopia is diagnosed by eye care professionals with a dilated eye examination.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is when the eye fails to focus light coming through the cornea evenly onto the retina, the retina is a light sensitive tissue located at the back of the eye. Mild astigmatisms are often misdiagnosed in young children because the dominant eye compensates for the weaker eye in many cases.
Correctly diagnosing astigmatism is performed by an eye care professional using a comprehensive eye dilated exam.
Signs and symptoms of astigmatism are headaches, eyestrain, distorted vision at far distances along with reports of difficulty driving at night.
Practices Detrimental to Eye Health
Excessive time spent working on computers and watching television has resulted in increased myopia in people worldwide. Spending time on the iPad, notebook computer and smartphone all cause eye strain, resulting in the need for corrective lenses for many people. Wearing corrective lenses actually makes the ciliary muscles in the eye weaken over time, basically the eyes become lazy.
As someone that works on a computer daily I recommend taking breaks every 15 minutes while working. Many health care practitioners have stated that EMF or electromagnetic fields generated from monitors affect eye health negatively.
Modern day unhealthy diets also contribute significantly to eye and vision problems, smoking is the worst thing you can do to your eyes on a cellular level depriving eye tissue of fresh oxygen.
What is Oxidation?
The definition of oxidation is the interaction between oxygen molecules and various substances, think of an apple slice left out that turns brown after a few hours. The human body is constantly exposed to oxidation factors that weaken the immune system, to counteract this you require anti oxidants.
Oxidant stress is the number one contributor to impaired eye health. The definition of an oxidant is an oxygen molecule with an impaired electron, this comes back to avoiding smoking at all cost. Your body needs anti oxidants to function properly. For maximum health your body needs foods high in anti oxidants that feed the different parts that make up the eye.
Eat Your Way to Improved Vision
Water and fat soluble oxidants are what the body requires to counteract the effects of cellular deterioration. Bilberries or huckleberries in the U.S. are water soluble anti oxidants that nourish the cornea and aqueous humour of the eye. Nourishing the eyes through a clean diet is the best start for eye health.
Fat soluble anti oxidants that are great for nourishing the eye tissues are vitamin A, E and D. To maintain and improve eye health you want to consume kale and as much dark green vegetables as possible. For those of you that don’t like to eat vegetables you can juice leafy greens on a daily basis and add strawberries and apples for sweetness. A daily regimen of vegetable consumption will set you on the right track to health.
The American Optometric Association stated on their website that nutrients such as lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin E and and zinc help reduce certain eye diseases including macular degeneration and cataracts.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are compounds called xanthophylis, derived from plants and vegetables. Xanthophylls are organic compounds called carotenoids, found in the pigmentation of vegetation. The compounds lutein and zeaxanthin are found in the macula of the human eye, another reason for consuming a plant based diet.
Recommended Anti Oxidant Foods
Kale (raw)
Spinach (raw)
Huckleberries
Wild Blueberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Cranberries
Granny Smith apple
There you have it 3 simple methods based on a healthy diet, you don’t have to go to the gym or spend a lot of money to improve your vision naturally. Results vary from person to person, the longer you give your body what it needs the better off your vision will be in the future. The key is eating more plant based foods or adopting a raw food diet for your health.
Today’s qualified and registered Optometrists have access to non invasive no touch technologies when it comes to performing procedures.
As always consult a qualified health care practitioner before embarking on a natural health care regimen.
