Eye Care Vision
Protecting your eyesight is one of the most important things you can do to help maintain your quality of life. Some type of sight-threatening eye problem affects one in six adults age 45 and older. And the risk for vision loss only increases with age.
In fact, a recent WHO report estimates that more than 43 million people around the world will develop age-related eye diseases by 2020. Since the leading causes of blindness and low vision in the are primarily age-related diseases such as macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, protecting your eyesight as you age is an essential part of your health care.
Eye Exercies
The “tromboning” exercise had you hold a small object at arm’s length, inhale, and then move the object in to touch the tip of your nose. You would then exhale, look at the object, and move it back out. “Tromboning exercises the focusing mechanism improves control of the extra ocular muscles and stimulates the flow of nutrients inside the eyes.”
Yoga for Eyes: Improve Eyesight Naturally
Many of the yogic poses/asana and exercises are aimed at improving the functioning of specific organs of the body.
Yoga provides a series of eye exercises that improves the functioning of the eyes and helps to overcome various eye-related problems, such as
- Myopia or short sightedness
- Hypermetropia or long sightedness
- Various other eye-related disorders
- In the present day world, about 35% of the population suffers from myopia and hypermetropia in varying degrees.
These disorders are usually overcome using powerful glasses and lenses which correct the refractive errors of the eye. However one needs to understand that glasses never cure bad eyesight. In fact, using powerful glasses can worsen eye problems. Therefore, one should use glasses only when absolutely necessary.
Other than a few diseases such as cataract and glaucoma which occur due to bacterial infections, many eye disorders are related to the malfunctioning of the ocular muscles caused by chronic mental and emotional tensions. Yoga techniques help to alleviate various disorders related to defects in the eye muscles such as myopia and hypermetropia.
Practicing these yoga eye exercises regularly for a few months can go a long way in facilitating the normal functioning of our eyes.
Note :Before starting these exercises, it is always recommended to splash your eyes with cold water a few times. Remember to keep the head and spine straight throughout the exercises.
1. Gazing Into the Darkness : Place your elbows on the table. Then place the palms of your hands over your eyes with the fingers of one hand crossing over the fingers on the other hand. Close your eyes and gaze into the darkness. Relax and hold this position for 1-3 minutes.
2. Side to Side Eye Movement: Stand or sit up right. Look straight ahead. Without moving your head, look to the left. Focus on what you see. Then look to the right. Focus on what you see. Move your eyes side to side 5 times. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
3. Up and Down Eye Movement: Look straight ahead. Look down and to the left. Then move your eyes diagonally and look up and to the right. Focus on what you see. Repeat this exercise 5 times, then look straight ahead and do the same exercise looking down and to the right and then looking up and to the left. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
4. Moving Your Eyes Diagonally: Sit up straight and look straight ahead. Then look up and focus on what you see. Look down. Don’t be afraid to wrinkle your forehead or frown with your eyebrows. It’s good for the eyes. Look up and down 5 times. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
5. Rolling Your Eyes in a Circle: Sit up straight and relax. Look to the left and slowly roll your eyes in a circle clockwise. To do this look up, then slowly move your eyes clockwise and look down and then move your eyes and look to the right. Do it clockwise 5 times and then counter clockwise 5 times. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
6. Near and Far Focus: Focus on a nearby object, e.g. a pencil. It should be 20-30 cm away from your eyes. Then look at something distant. Focus on that distant object and try to see it in detail. Then look on the nearby object again. Change this focus 5 times. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
7. Concentration One: Sit up straight. Look straight ahead. Gaze at the point between your eyebrows. Focus on what you see and gaze for a few seconds. Look straight ahead. Then gaze at the point between your eyebrows again. Change this focus 5 times. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
8. Concentration Two: Sit up straight. Look straight ahead. Gaze at the tip of your nose for a few seconds. Then look straight ahead again. Change this focus 5 times. Repeat this cycle 3 times.
9. Massage One: Close your eyes. Then squeeze your eyes shut tightly. Keep them squeezed shut for 2-3 seconds. Relax the muscles around your eyes. Squeeze your eyes shut again. Repeat 10 times.
10. Massage Two: Close your eyes. Gently touch your eyelids and massage your eyes with circular movements. Press lightly. Don’t try to press too hard. Make 10 circular movements, first clockwise.
Good Eye Health
1.Eat for Good Vision :
Protecting your eyes starts with the food on your plate. Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E might help ward off age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration and cataracts, studies show. Regularly eating these foods can help lead to good eye health:
Green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collards.
Salmon, tuna/omega-3 fatty acids and other oily fish.
Eggs, nuts, beans, and other non-meat protein sources.
Oranges and other citrus fruits or juices.
Green Tea
2. Quit Smoking : Smokers have a significantly higher risk of eye disease than non-smokers. According to research published by the RNIB smokers are twice as likely to loose their sight in later life than non-smokers,it makes you more likely to get cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration.
Tobacco chemicals damage the blood vessels behind your eyes and increase your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
However, the good news is that if you quit smoking your risk of developing AMD begins to decline. Smoking is also associated with other eye diseases including cataracts.
3. Wear Sunglasses : The right kind of sunglasses will help protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Too much UV exposure makes you more likely to get cataracts and macular degeneration.
TChoose sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound lenses help protect your eyes from the side. Polarized lenses reduce glare when driving.
If you wear contact lenses, some offer UV protection. It’s still a good idea to wear sunglasses for more protection, though.
4. Contact lens care : Follow your Eye M.D.’s instructions regarding the CARE AND USE OF CONTACT LENSES. Abuse, such as sleeping in contacts that are not approved for overnight wear, using saliva or water as a wetting solution, using expired solutions, and using disposable contact lenses beyond their wear can result in corneal ulcers, severe pain and even vision loss.
Contact Lenses are among the safest forms of vision correction when you follow the proper care and wearing instructions provided by your eye doctor.
If you do not use lenses, you could be damaging your eyes. Clean and safe handling of your contact lenses is one of the most important things you can do to protect your sight.
Contact lenses and the solutions used with them are medical devices and are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Therefore, it is extremely important to maintain regular appointments with your eye doctor based on your individual eye health needs.
5. Place cucumber slices on your eyelids to reduce puffiness : Press cold cucumber slices gently against eyelids for 10-15 minutes before going to sleep at night to help treat and prevent eyelid and under eye puffiness.
Green tea bags may also help prevent puffiness if applied to the eyes. Soak the tea bag in cold water for a few minutes and place over eyes for 15-20 minutes. The tannins in the tea should help reduce inflammation.