How to Improve Eyesight

We use our eyes all the time to read, write, watch television, use our phone, and many more in our everyday lives. All these strenuous activities lead to eye fatigue and can increase the risk of having age-related problems. But having a diminished eyesight doesn’t have to be part of your everyday living. Aside from getting a regular eye checkup, there are many more ways to help improve your eyesight, maintain a 20/20 vision, and prevent future illness or injuries to your vision. Keep reading to learn more helpful tips for better eyesight.  

1. Eat Right

Protect your eyes with a visionary diet! Our eyes need multiple nutrients to function at its best like antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C, and E, and minerals like copper and zinc which can help prevent macular degeneration. A condition where the macula — a part of the eyes that controls the central vision — deteriorates.

To help you achieve a 20/20 vision, get the required nutrients for the eyes by making sure to consume plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables such as:

• Carrots
• strawberries
• broccoli
• Spinach
• citrus
• sweet potato
• dark leafy greens
• Pumpkin
• egg yolks

Did you notice any color pattern? Research shows that including yellow and green vegetables can help prevent blindness caused by age-related diseases such as macular degeneration. Other essential nutrients that can help you achieve a 20/20 vision includes:

• Food rich in beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, sulfur, and lecithin like garlic, onions, and shallots is also essential to protect the macula from sun damage and protect the lens of the eyes from cataract formation.
• Flaxseed, salmon, mackerel and other foods rich in DHA and omega-3 fatty acids help provide structural support for your eyesight.
• Foods rich in anthocyanin, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties like goji berries and grapes also play an important role for the protection and maintenance of the eyes.
• Another important nutrient for the eyes is lutein. A high concentration pigment found in the retina that helps shield against excess light. A number of scientific research proves how lutein supplementation can help eyes to naturally improve its vision. Lutein is easily found in fruits and vegetables like kale and spinach. So make sure you consume lots of them!
• Don’t forget to include carotenoids-rich food in your diet such as broccoli and zucchini. Carotenoids help protect the macula by improving the pigment density and absorbing the ultraviolet and blue lights coming from the sun and gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, etc.

A healthy diet is just one of the few tips for better eyesight that you can follow. Although it takes time and would require major adjustment, this tip is one of the best and most effective way to maintain a good eyesight with a perfect 20/20 vision. Below are some more effective tips for better eyesight.

2. Stay Fit

Maintaining a healthy weight by regularly exercising can help you improve your eyesight and achieve a 20/20 vision (not just your waistline!). Certain diseases like high blood pressure and multiple sclerosis can affect vision. Type 2 diabetes which is commonly accompanied by obesity can also cause serious damage to the tiny little blood vessels present in the eyes. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy. A condition where too much sugar in your bloodstream damages the delicate walls of your arteries. Diseases like diabetic retinopathy causes the tiny arteries in your eyes, particularly in the light-sensitive part called retina to leak fluid and blood, harming your vision. Staying fit and getting your blood pressure and sugar checked and maintained regularly can help lower your chances of developing diseases like Type 2 Diabetes and experiencing all the complications that come with it.

The following simple exercises can help you achieve the optimal 20/20 vision. With clean hands, do these exercises daily in the morning and before bedtime, or whenever your eyes feel fatigued.

• Warm your eyes. Create heat by rubbing your palms together. Then for five seconds, place them with your eyes closed. Repeat this step three times.
• Roll your eyes by looking up and then slowly circle your eyes for 10 times both clockwise and counterclockwise.
• Focus. Hold a pen and focus your eyes on it. Then slowly bring the pen closer and then slowly move it back while keeping your eyes focused on the pen. Do this 10 times.
• Massage your temples using your knuckles in small circles for 20 times in each direction. Do the same actions on the mid-point of the eyebrows, at the forehead, and on both sides of the bridge of the nose.
• Take a mini-nap for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Give Your Eyes the Rest it Needs

Your eyes working day and night under harsh environment deserves a break every now and then. The strain especially when you’re facing the monitor for hours can take a toll on your eyesight. Help ease the strain by applying the 20-20-20 rule. Meaning, your should stop staring at your computer every 20 minutes and look at something that’s approximately 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Aside from taking a break, it is still necessary to give your eyes the proper rest it needs.Getting a complete 8 hour sleep is essential for your eye health. Get enough sleep to allow your eyes to fully rest, repair and recover itself. Lack of sleep can weaken your vision, so make sure you get an 8 hour deep sleep at night.

4. Learn Your Family’s Eye Health History

Some eye-related conditions stem from hereditary so understanding the eye conditions that your family has had can help you take early precautions.

Be aware of the hereditary conditions:

• Glaucoma
• age-related macular degeneration
• retinal degeneration
• Diabetic retinopathy
• optic atrophy

5. Wear protective eyewear

Whether you’re doing a little science experiment at school, or you’re doing a fun DIY project, or perhaps you’re outside doing all sorts of sports and activities, it is extremely important that you protect your eyes with the appropriate eyewear. A good and high-quality protective eyewear is important for situations that have high risk of chemicals, sharp objects or other materials that can harm your eyes like wood shavings.

Alexander Daas Majesty

Sunglasses aren’t just for fashion and style, wearing sunglasses can also help improve and protect your eyes by blocking 99 to 100 percent of UVA/UVB rays from the sun. Sunglasses can help prevent eye conditions caused by damage including cataracts, pterygium, and macular degeneration.

6. Keep Your Hands and Lenses Clean

Your delicate eyes are very vulnerable to germs and infection. Keep your hands clean before touching your eyes, contact lenses and glasses. Because even the little things that irritates your eyes can directly affect your vision. You should also regularly clean and replace your contact lenses as instructed by your doctor or by the manufacturer. Germs in your contact lenses can cause infection and may harm your eyes.

The bottom line

You may have not known before how important a simple washing of hands or eating leafy vegetables can help you achieve a great eyesight with 20/20 vision. But we hope you’ll start exerting more effort using the above tips for better eyesight. Living a healthy lifestyle with balanced diet and regular exercise all play a role in improving your eyesight. Protecting your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun and from foreign objects using protective eyewear like sunglasses may not be able to protect your eyes from all eye conditions but they can help lower your odds of developing vision problems. Find yourself a great pair of high-quality sunglasses from our wide collection of designer brands and get your eyes protected from the sun! Shop here.