How To Prevent Vision Loss Naturally
Feb 4th, 2013 | By Alyson | Category: Alternative Health, Health | Print This Article
We are constantly reminded to take care of our bodies through proper health and exercise. We can often justify spending a little extra when it comes to our health—whether than means joining a yoga class or buying organic products. And not only do we invest our money into our health, but we also invest a great deal of our time. We take the time to grow plants free of pesticides or set aside strict exercise in order to keep ourselves in tip-top shape.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with this; however, it does seem like we pay a little more attention to certain parts of our health than others. For example, cardiovascular health is commonly seen as the most important—and hey, don’t get me wrong here; it’s important to have a strong and healthy heart. But after we get the major organs in shape, it’s important to remember other aspects involved in staying healthy. As grim as it may seem, it’s generally a fact of life that as we age, our bodies begin to slow down. The activities of our youth may begin to take a toll, and suddenly our movements aren’t so swift and our senses seem to dull.
One of the main ailments that plague the aging population is the decline of vision. There are many reasons why our eyesight may decrease as we get older, and if you’re noticing a change in your vision, don’t hesitate! Pick up the phone and contact your optometrist. While it is likely nothing more than age-related vision loss, there are serious conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma that have increased risk with age. The longer you let your eyes strain without attention from an eye doctor, the more likely the damage will increase. While it’s important to have regular checkups to ensure the health of your eyes, it is equally important to take care of your eyes from home in natural ways.
There are many reasons that vision can fade with age. The best way to understand vision loss is to begin to understand the structure and functions of the eye.
Why Does Aging Impair My Vision?
The eye is a complex mini-system working hard to provide us with sight. The eye is composed of multiple facets (including the cornea, pupil, lens, iris, and retina) that are all equally important in maintaining proper vision. Simply put, light enters through our cornea with some help from the lens. The light refraction that is absorbed is delivered to the retina, which sends signals to our brains telling us what to see.
With this understanding of the eye, it seems obvious that any disruption in the absorption of light will also affect the images that we see. Imagine trying to watch a movie with a damaged film reel. It doesn’t sound like a very entertaining way to pass the time! Just like a damaged reel of film, a damaged part of the eye can compromise its entire purpose. If we don’t nourish and tend to the maintenance of our machine, parts can stop working, and it may break down entirely. Remember though, some problems with the eye cannot be prevented simply through proper maintenance, which is why regular eye checkups are extremely important, even for the healthiest of eyes!
Shrinking Vitreous Fluid
As we age, parts of our eyes simply begin to deteriorate naturally. The gel-like substance that gives our eyes their bulging nature is called vitreous fluid. This fluid fills the entire eye, from the front of the lens, to the back of the retina. With age, the fluid inside our eye begins to naturally shrink. Imagine a gelatin dessert sitting out on the counter over a long period of time. Eventually the moisture will naturally leave, and the gelatin will begin to shrink. This is what happens with the gel in our eyes. Often this can happen and not cause any side affects.
If the fluid continues to shrink, it may eventually lead to the detachment of your retina, which is not good news! This can lead to permanent problems with your eyesight, and can even result in permanent blindness. People who have myopia, commonly known as near-sightedness, are much more likely to develop a detached retina. If you begin to experience any flashes of light or an increase of floaters in your eye, contact your doctor immediately.
Five Steps To Prevention
As we hear over and over again, the best method for avoiding the loss of any bodily function is prevention. Take care of your eyes now, and you will reap the benefits later on in your life. Maintaining the overall health of your body and eyes is very important. Below are five easy and effective ways to keep your eyes in great shape. Remember, your eyes are organs, and all organs need to be cared for in order to function properly.
- Drink lots of water. Drinking lots of water will keep your eyes moist and hydrated and potentially stave off the deterioration of your vitreous fluid. If your eyes are still feeling dry after you increase your H2O intake, talk to your optometrist about getting a saline solution in order to keep them moist and deter irritation.
- Keep sunlight out. Even on the shortest of trips outdoors, it’s important to toss on your UVA protective sunglasses to prevent sun damage, which will weaken your eye.
- Take your supplements. Fatty acids such as fish oil (which contain the miraculous omega-3 fat) are great for your eyes. Vitamins A, C, and E are also little vision helpers and should be included in every diet.
- Eat properly. Certain foods contain major health benefits to the eye and your vision. These foods include dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, and avocados.
- Exercise your vision. Your eyes get exhausted from the same type of stimuli, whether it’s a certain color or a constant distance. If you’re reading or focusing your eyes on one thing for a long period of time, make sure you take regulars breaks and focus on something different for a few minutes. The general rule for this is after about twenty minutes of focusing, make sure you switch it up!
©2013 Off The Grid News
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Mid-summer 2012. Flashesof light in my right eye, then missing parts of vision. Doctor said it was common as we age for the gell to pull away from the wall of the eye. The dark spots and streeks were blood leaking. It has been several months,. Now it looks like lite spider webs, I don’t know if that will clear up or not. For my meds, I take 400IU vit E 2 times a day, Brewers yeast and molasses for micro nutrients.I love my computer there is so much to learn especially on nutrition. Cross reference and verify all information.
I have horrible eyes due to hereditary and being hit in an eye w/a baseball in high school. PLUS I quilt, which means close work so I keep the tele at least 15ft away. That way I do a few stitches then look up to refocus. My eye doc says this is the best way to work those eyes.
Used Edgar Cayce’s recommended eye exercise years ago, and suddenly found I no longer needed to wear my glasses, which I had prescribed by an opthalmologist a few years before. I wondered how it was supposed to help, but figuring no harm would occur started his recommended rolling head from right to left keeping head as close to the shoulders, back and chest as possible, 10 times and repeat rolling head from left to right 10
times. Didn’t have my eyes checked again until I found my arms too short to hold what I was trying to read, so
went to optometrist, who told me I didn’t have astigmatism when I asked about it after the exam. He assured me that you don’t get rid of astigmatism, so you must not have had it. My response was the glasses prescribed for it worked beautifully, but since I found I didn’t need them after doing some eye exercises, nor glasses for any other reason for the past 20-25 years, obviously I did have it and apparently no longer have it,
since your examination says I don’t.
Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar formula for eye drops said to dissolve cataracts & correct some other visual problems is: Distilled water 5 parts (whether measuring with tsp. or cc’s)
High quality local honey 2 parts
Apple cider vinegar 1 part (total 8 parts)
Refrigeration not required. Don’t know how often Bragg recommends, but am using 2 drops
morning and night myself. Stings initially but over in a few seconds. Do suggest storing it in
brown or green dropper bottle.
For pain in the eye, castor oil drops sure is a great deal better than artificial tears. Learned this when desperate for something on hand to use but not likely to harm when I got a paper cut on my right
eyeball. The pain decreased immensely within 5 – l0 minutes using. Dropped more in at bedtime that night and woke up the next a.m. with my usual vision & no pain or discomfort or signs of irritation in my eye.
Also worked well on my granddaughter’s eye when it was painful & reddened with irritation. Her pain was
gone shortly after using the castor oil, and she was asking to return to school 30 minutes later. Only used it once in her eye because it cured the problem, whatever it was – infection or allergy???
Read where a vet, who said he was being followed by the VAH for beginning cataracts and on their watch list for glaucoma because his pressure was borderline. Claimed the last time he was checked there they were amazed at the improvement in his vision, decrease in his pressure and took him off the watch list. Don’t ]
remember what his vision had been (20/40 or 20/60) but he was back to 20/25 when he wrote this. He said they were astonished at his use of castor oil in his eyes and had never heard of it being done. He didn’t say where he got the information on using it, but I suspect it might have come from Edgar Cayce or someone who tried it when desperate for relief and used what they had on hand and lucked up. I have used it many times since when my eyes feel strained or irritated.