Good eyesight is one of the most important senses that we have. Most of what we perceive comes from our vision and our ability to see. If you want to enjoy a full and active life, it’s important that you keep your vision in the best condition that you can without needing to resort to artificial aids such as corrective lenses.
In fact, glasses and contact lenses can actually make your vision worse as they make your eyes dependent on them, so if possible you’ll want to stay away from them altogether.
As you are probably already aware, our body starts to deteriorate as we get older. Our eyes are no different and they too will start to deteriorate the older we get. However, there are some things that we can do at any age to keep our eyes in the best condition possible.
You shouldn’t wait until your eyes deteriorate and then start to follow the advice in this article, instead this article will provide you with some helpful advice that everybody, regardless of their age, should follow.
Vitamins and Minerals for Eyesight
Vitamins A, C and E are essential for healthy eyes. Moreover, zinc and copper are also an essential part of any diet for good eyesight.
Antioxidants like zeaxanthin and lutein can help protect your eyes from damage and give them a boost that they need to repair and maintain themselves.
Foods that contain high levels of cysteine and lecithin can help prevent your eyes from getting cataracts.
Foods with anthocyanin have great anti-inflammatory properties that will help to improve and maintain good eyesight.
Good fatty acids, like Omega-3, that are found in fish can provide your body with the support that it needs to promote healthy eyes.
Therefore, make sure that you are getting all these vitamins and minerals in your diet regardless of the quality of your vision or your age!
Rest and Relaxation
Your eyes are one of the most important aspects to your life, and they are also one of the hardest working parts in your body. Unfortunately, people just don’t see the need to rest their eyes as much as they do the other parts of their body.
If you are young and you spend a lot of time in front of the TV, it’s always a good idea to take a break. At least once every hour, get away from the TV and stop focusing on it. This will help you to relax your eyes.
If you are at work and spend a lot of your day sitting in front of a computer screen, again, make sure that you take a break for at least 10 minutes every hour. Similarly, if you are spending hours sitting down reading a good book, give your eyes a break.
Sleeping is also essential for promoting eye health for people of all ages. It gives your body time to repair and recover. Make sure that you sleep for around eight hours a day and this will give your eyes the chance to unwind and relax.
It’s important for people of all ages to ensure that they are getting enough R&R for their eyes. It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old, your eyes need to take a break from all the hard work that they do each and every day.
Eye Exercises
Eye exercises are something you can do whatever your age. Simple eye exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home and can really improve and help you to maintain good eyesight.
You can do these exercises at any time of the day and they will really give your eyes the workout they need keep working as best as they can.
Rolling your eyes. Imagine that there is a clock face in front of you. Move your vision up to the 12 o’clock point and look up as far as you can without moving your head. Now slowly move your eyes around the entire clock fact until you get back to the 12 o’clock position. Do this 10 times both clockwise and counterclockwise and ensure that you don’t move your head at all.
Focusing. Hold something like a pen at arms-length. Focus your eyes on the tip of the pen and slowly bring the pens closer to your nose. Keep moving the pen to your nose until it starts to double. When this happens, slowly move the pen away from your nose until your arm is fully extended. Do this at least 10 times and keep your eyes fully focused on the pen at all times.
Long distance focusing. Look and focus on something that is about 3-5 feet away from you. Then divert your vision to something that is a lot further away, maybe bout 20-30 feet away. Wait until your eyes are fully focused and then return to the first object. Again, repeat this process about 10 times.
These simple exercises are great for anybody of any age and they will really help your vision and focus.
Improving Eyesight Naturally
It doesn’t matter whether you are in your teens, your 30s or even your 60s. Everybody’s vision can benefit from a healthy diet, regular exercise and enough rest. These three things are vitally important if you want to improve your vision or maintain healthy vision for much longer.
Unfortunately, everybody is going to age and our body will deteriorate with age. It’s a fact of life that we can’t hide from, no matter how much we try. However, we can prolong the effects of aging on our eyesight by simply following the advice laid out in this article.
In short, make sure that you’re getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your diet, try some vision strengthening exercises, take frequent breaks from the computer screen, and get enough rest. By doing this, you will have the best vision possible for as long as possible.
This post originally appeared on All About Vision.