Like all parts of the body, to stay healthy, we need to keep muscles active and fuel it with the right things to get the best out of them. With eyes being one of the most delicate organs of the human body need constant maintenance and care to keep them in good conditions that go a long way.
Much of this you do everyday without even realising it, like you work your legs by simply walking, focusing on various things throughout the day helps give our eyes a workout naturally. However, with modern life revolving around digital screens and the increasingly polluted environments we submit our bodies to, our eyesight can be compromised due to external influences that may aggravate them and cause some serious issues.
Luckily there are some natural measures that can help us retain healthy eyes and clear vision easily, and will also improve your overall wellness if you make these tips part of your everyday lifestyle.
Exercises to improve your eyesight
There are lots of different eye exercises you can do that are proven to be beneficial,but below we’ve listed some of the best ones that you can do anywhere, anytime.
Incorporating a series of quick eye exercises in intervals while sat at your desktop can also not only help keep your eyes healthy, but can offer you a useful mental break from work to help improve mental wellbeing and overall productivity. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Quiptment) Regulations 1992 suggest that breaks should be taken ‘periodically’, and that short breaks more often are better than longer breaks less frequently – eg. 5-10 minutes break every hour is better than 20 minutes every 3 hours.
Try to use toilet or coffee breaks as a cue to take care of your eyes if you struggle to remember, or set a reminder on your phone for once every hour so that you look away from your screen at regular intervals.
By working in some eye exercises or eye care techniques regularly you can help your eyes relax and recharge to get more out of everyday, from now to your healthy future to come!
Some easy and flexible exercises you can practice anywhere include:
Warm palm packs
Rubbing the palms together and cushioning the eyes for about 5 seconds offers wonderful warm relief from the monotonous strains of uninterrupted vision. Heat soothes the eyes and helps a number of eye problems, relieving pain, relaxing muscle spasms and increasing circulation.
Up, down and circular motions
This rolling eye exercise is a very good way to get the blood circulation going. Simply roll your eyes up and down to warm up and then do a circle in the clockwise and anti-clockwise direction for more defined eyesight. You can also do a figure of eight to improve your dexterity.
Focusing on an object
Focusing is another highly recommended exercise for the eyes. Place a small object a little away from the eyes (a pencil is frequently used) and gradually bring it closer to about 6 inches away, focusing on it throughout the entire time.
Massage the temples, eyes and eyelids
Massaging the temple frees up the tension knots. For an eye massage, use ONLY the ring finger as it produces the lowest pressure of all the fingers and massage the area around the eyes.
Draw the alphabet, or your name
This is a great exercise for giving you a range of movement for your focus. Simply work your way through the alphabet from A to Z, drawing the letters in capitals, or you can draw your name if you have less time. It sometimes helps to ‘draw’ these letters on a surface, but you can also ‘draw’ in mid-air.
Make sure you draw the letters big enough to feel the range of motion, and when you get good at it see if you can improve the speed you can complete the exercise.
Another way to improve your vision naturally is by incorporating the right foods into your diet that promote good eye health. Most of these foods are also a health boost for the rest of your body, so you get a double bonus when you work these into your daily routine.
Foods that improve your eyesight
Carrots
Vitamin A is one of the most commonly known nutrients that promote good eye health, and carrots are chock full of one of the essential parts of this vitamin: beta-carotene. Keeping this vitamin level high therefore helps protect against cataracts, macular degeneration and a number of other eye diseases.
Carrots also contain an antioxidant called lutein which increases the density of pigment in the macula (the oval section in the middle of the retina) and helps protect the retina from damage and disease.
Leafy green vegetables
Antioxidants protect the eyes from sun damage. Leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach and broccoli are three of the top antioxidant-rich foods to work into your diet, or you can opt for other antioxidant-rich foods such as egg yolks, oranges, pumpkins and brazil nuts.
Sulphur Rich Foods
Sulphur enriched food prevents macular generation and offer anti-oxidants that we don’t naturally store in our body such as glutathione which improves repairs and recovery and slows down the aging process which can affect the eyes. Yellow and green vegetables are rich sources of sulphur such as onions, garlic, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, sweet potatoes, bok choy, mustard greens and avocado.
Blueberries and grapes
These two fruits also have antioxidant properties and anthocyanin that helps improve vision and are a great food choice for a giving your body a healthy boost all round.
Atlantic Mackerel or Fish Oil Tablets
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid, often known as Omega 3) has structural properties that improve eye health. Fish are the best widely-available sources of DHA, and Atlantic Mackerel has the top amount per milligram, followed by Salmon fish oil and Cod fish oil. Walnuts and Chia seeds are also excellent DHA-rich foods.
Apples
Vitamins are essential building blocks for clear and healthy eyesight, and vital eye care vitamins A, E and C are all present in apples. You know what they say… an apple a day keeps the optician away!
Each of us are responsible for taking care of ourselves, and our eyes are no exception. Taking care of them is essential in the scope of a good and healthy life, and are such a core part of our daily living that when they begin to fail us, it can severely impact our happiness and overall wellbeing too.
Most leave eye care until it is too late, since we don’t think we need to pay attention to something that isn’t broken. But taking care of our eyes is such as easy thing to do, and if worked into the daily routine, can ward off eye issues and degeneration for many years, if not decades.
So think of your future self, and try to spend a few minutes every day with these exercises and along with a good diet, and you’ll be able to enjoy great eyesight for your whole lifelong!
About Author Bio – Simon Donne
Simon Donne has an excellent reputation as one of the most trusted local opticians in Bedford, and works to provide expert advice and eye care to help the public and his customers enjoy healthy vision throughout their life. These tips were brought to you by Simon Donne of Simon Donne Opticians, an eye expert with a passion for helping the nation live better with better eyesight! Simon Donne Opticians offer eye tests for those in the area, as well as a range of glasses and contact lenses to choose from.