Taking care of your eyes and preventing eye problems is easy to accomplish and takes just a few minutes of your time. It tends to be neglected by the majority. Here are simple and easy ways to keep your eyes in perfect condition naturally!
Very often young and fit people in their 20s, 30s, 40s or even 50s, believe that they need not worry about their eyesight until they grow old. Wrong! Eye health starts from an early age, and when it comes to eye care, prevention is always better than cure.
Just as you take care of your skin, hair, and nails, your eyes need tender love and care at all times. After all, they are your windows to the world.
In this article we are sharing with you all that you need to know about eye care and how to keep your eyes well all through your life.
Have you noticed that more kids and young adults wear glasses today compared to the time when we were growing up? Have you considered why? Here are a few reasons:
- Too Much Time spent on Short-distance Vision
Human eyes are naturally designed for plenty of movement, an equal mix of short-distance and long-distance vision. But, in our modern urban lifestyles, sadly our eyes are made to do plenty of close-up work like watching TV and mobile screens, playing electronic games, reading from laptops, tablets and print media etc.
- Harmful Effects of Blue Light emitted by Gadgets
The blue light emitted by gadgets strain the eyes. Recent studies show that blue light decreases the secretion of melatonin (the sleep hormone), which in turn, wrecks our internal circadian rhythms. Additionally, prolonged blue light exposure causes damage to the retina.
- Improper and inadequate Nutrition
Eye health goes hand-in-hand with overall health, and your eyes require plenty of nutrients, minerals, and micro-nutrients for their optimal functioning. But, poor dietary habits – constituting processed and junk foods deprive our body and eyes of nutrients. Did you know that our eyeballs are mostly water? Good eye health requires a hydrating diet high i.e rich in water content, fruits and vegetables in raw form
Though it may be surprising, stress aggravates eye issues causing problems like twitching, eye strains, dry eyes, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, choroidopathy (fluid accumulation under the retina) and more. Recent studies have found that chronic stress can impact your eye health in the long run.
Consumption of certain medicines can cause negative side-effects on eye health.
How to Take Care of Eyes Naturally?
Natural Eye Health Tips for Children
As a parent, it’s essential to teach children the right eye care habits right from an early age. Just as you get your children to brush twice daily, you need to ensure that they follow the best practices that will give them healthy eyes, all through their life.
- Make sure that your children don’t unnecessarily strain their eyes by reading in the dark or poor light. Get them to sit straight or comfortably while reading and doing their homework. Discourage reading while lying down. Also, avoid reading in moving vehicles or in bed.
- Limit TV, tablets, and other screens. While it’s not possible to eliminate screens from your child’s routine, make sure that you keep it minimal. While fixing the TV/desktop at home, ensure that it’s at eye level for the children to avoid straining the eye muscles.
- Encourage outdoor play
- Include plenty of fresh, raw vegetables and fruits in their daily diet.
- Teach them simple eye exercises to strengthen the eye muscles.
- If they suffer from eye strain or red eyes, teach them how to palm their eyes and relax them
Natural Eye Health Tips for Adults
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, while working on a computer screen, take a break for 20 seconds and focus on something 20 feet away. Alternatively, walk around, stretch or look out of the window at far away objects for 5 minutes before getting back to work.
- While working on a desktop/laptop, take regular breaks and blink your eyes frequently, to avoid drying of the eyes.
- Try to read and work in natural light – near a window or on a shaded patio, instead of relying on artificial light.
- Place screens on eye level to avoid straining the neck, shoulders, and eyes.
- Press both your palms on your eyes gently for a few seconds to relieve eye strain.
- Avoid looking at screens for at least an hour before bed. This includes TV as well.
- While reading, choose books with bigger prints. Alternatively, pick up audiobooks.
- If eyes feel tired, wash them with cold water. You can use specially available eyecups to wash your eyes hygienically and quickly.
- Make a poultice of potato skin, cucumber and carrots, and place it on your closed eyelids and under your eyes to relax and rejuvenate them.
- Do neck and should rotations to relax stiff muscles and improve blood circulation to the head.
Lifestyle Changes for Good Eye Health
These lifestyle changes not only help in improving your vision but also offer you numerous other health benefits, helping you live a happy life free from illnesses.
- Make exercise a regular part of your routine. Exercises like brisk walking reduce the chances of macular degeneration that occurs with age.
- Go for nature walks – observe nature, greenery. Make this a weekly family activity for improving eye health and to bond with your partner and children. Try focusing on close and far objects alternatively. You can boost your peripheral vision by observing sideways while walking.
- Have a balanced, healthy diet – include plenty of raw vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. Subtract acidic foods like tea,coffee, alcohol, sugary drinks, processed foods, dairy, non veg and salt as much as possible since these foods are dehydrating.
- Avoid smoking.
- Regular use of hot water to wash your hair weakens the eye muscles. Instead, use lukewarm or cold water
- Do digital detox once a week.
- Try intermittent fasting to give rest to your digestive system. It enables the energy to flow to the rest of the body, which promotes healing and repairing.
- While direct exposure to the sun’s UV rays is harmful, the early morning or evening rays are hugely beneficial. For every 3 hours of close up work, 1 hour should be spent outdoors in sunlight.
Eye Exercises to Strengthen the Eye Muscles and Optical Nerves
- Vision Exercises for Children
- Up down and side to side – Get your child to place their hands above and down their head level. Without moving the head. Have them look at each hand for ten times. Next place the hands-on either side and repeat.
- Nose to Thumb – Get your child to place one hand straight out with the thumb pointing up. With both eyes, look at the nose and thumb alternatively. Repeat ten times.
- Tracking – Get your child to place a thumb straight out and draw a circle with the thumbs. Track the path of the circle only with the eyes, without moving the head.
- Trataka
This is a meditation technique that involves focusing the eyes on an object, through intent but relaxed gazing.
Benefits: Strengthens the eyes, purifies the eyes, improves memory, concentration, and vision.
How to do it:
- Place a burning candle at an arm’s length from you and sit cross-legged in front of it. The wick of the candle should be at your chest level. Ensure that the flame is not moving due to winds or drafts.
- Close your eyes for a few seconds. Gently open your eyes and focus on the flame without blinking. Concentrate your vision on the upper part of the flame. Focus for 10 - 15 seconds and then close your eyes.
- You would be able to see the flame inside your mind. Continue observing it till it fades away. Gently open your eyes.
- Repeat the practice thrice. You can also practice Trataka by focusing on a white dot on a black paper or a black dot on a white paper.
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Don’t Wait
Your eyes are the most important sense organ, and if you notice any differences in your vision or other difficulties, get in touch with a qualified eye professional to identify the problem.
Suggested Further Reading/Watch
- Trataka and its importance in our Lives-https://jeevmokshayoga.com/trataka-importance-life/
- For better vision, let the sunshine in -https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/well/live/for-better-vision-let-the-sunshine-in.html
- How to heal your eyesight naturally – Vishen Lakhiani -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8ebSpLAO0U
- 1 minute eye strain relief exercise - https://www.youtube.com/watchv=RoIYAoAalmI
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Disclaimer: The health journeys, blogs, videos and all other content on Wellcure is for educational purposes only and is not to be considered a ‘medical advice’ ‘prescription’ or a ‘cure’ for diseases. Any specific changes by users, in medication, food & lifestyle, must be done under the guidance of licensed health practitioners. The views expressed by the users are their personal views and Wellcure claims no responsibility for them.
Wellcure
09:10 AM | 07-08-2019
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