Eyesight Strengthening Exercises
After the age of 50, most people experience difficulty in seeing things at a distance. It is due to a decrease in eye power or vision that occurs with the aging process.
Exercises such as playing golf and swimming help in improving eyesight by strengthening the retina and optic nerve. Eyesight can be improved indirectly as well through diet and good health habits like watching television etc where there is no strain on your vision.
However, it is important to know that exercises done for strengthening eyes help only if you look directly and do not shift gaze frequently while doing so. The capacity of our eyes to focus is reduced after we cross 25 years of age but this problem also varies from person to person depending upon their lifestyle, exercise regime, diet, etc.
Drinking lots of water helps in keeping our eyes, eyelids well hydrated and clean, thereby preventing infections. Extra focus on regular blinking also helps in preventing eye strain. Eat food rich in vitamin A like carrot, mangoes, spinach which are good for the eyes. Eating fish along with omega-3 fatty acids comes in handy to avoid problems related to dryness of the eyes or curing it if already exists.
Proven results say that eating blueberries is extremely helpful against macular degeneration due to its antioxidant properties. One should take care while using mobile phones, working on computers and laptops where there is a light source directly hitting the eyes for longer durations as it can cause headache and change your vision depending on the intensity of the light.
Exercise for eyes:
Two popular exercises are palming and swinging which help in strengthening your eyes. Palming involves covering the closed eyelids with both hands for 10-12 minutes to relax your body completely. For better results, do it at night just before sleeping as it makes you sleep faster by relaxing your mind completely.
Swing is done by moving your eyeballs clockwise and anti-clockwise to put a strain on the muscles responsible for different movements of the eyelids. The process should be done gently without putting much pressure or strain on them as it can cause damage due to excess strain given to these tiny muscles of our eyes. It’s a simple technique that gives the best results if practiced regularly.
Eye exercises to remove glasses:
Some people wear glasses and contact lenses because of poor eyesight. It is a very common problem in the world, there are many ways in which we can control our eyes and do natural exercises to remove this deficiency (Glasses and Contact Lenses). For example:
Eye Exercises You Can Do at Home:
The following eye exercises you can do anywhere anytime with your fingertips to improve your visual clarity. If you can routinely practice these simple tricks, you will be surprised how well they work! But don’t forget that it takes months to see an improvement in your “distance” vision.
Stress balls for better eyesight:
People who from myopia have near-sightedness. While those from hyperopia have farsightedness. There is a condition known as Presbyopia which occurs due to aging, this condition is a hardening of the lens inside the eye and makes it difficult for you to focus on nearby objects despite normal vision in other aspects.
The best way to practice Eye Exercises that reduce the aging of retina tissues and improve eyesight is using a Stress ball:-
All you need to do is take a stress ball between your fingers as shown in the image below, as shown pull your fingers apart from each other quickly to form an arch with the stress ball being at its center.
This should be done daily for 15 minutes or more depending upon your comfort level. The idea behind the stress ball is that it provides a stronger resistance to force against and thus works on the muscles and tissues of your eye.
Another option is to take a handkerchief or hand towel and wrap it around your fingers as shown in the picture below, this will apply similar pressure while you pull your fingertips quickly apart from each other. So do this regularly while watching TV or while you are sitting idle at the home, office, etc. for 15 minutes (or more if you like).
Eye exercises can be done at home without any special equipment but they should be repeated every day for best results. If possible try to go out in sunlight every day; this helps stimulate the production of Human Growth Hormone which has been linked with improved eyesight and eye health.
Eye Exercises for Near-Sightedness:
Place a piece of paper on the wall and stand at a distance from it which is comfortable for you. Tilt your head down so that your eyes are looking directly over the top of your glasses and read what is written on the paper. This exercise will help strengthen muscles in the eye, and it will help to strengthen and coordinate eye muscles that focus light rays onto your retina.
You can also practice this with a string or something colored placed between two objects such as books etc., then try to focus on both ends of the string simultaneously without moving your head too much.
If using a string, hold one end of it about 8 inches away from your nose while standing in a dimly lit room and focus your eyes on the other end, try to maintain this for about a minute, and then repeat with the other eye. This exercise is most effective if repeated every day for about 5 minutes before going to bed at night.
Eye Exercises for Farsightedness:
For farsightedness, you can use an object such as a pencil or pen, etc., place it in front of you two feet away from your face. Focus your eyes on one tip until that entire tip appears sharp and clear when it is in focus, move your eyes slowly over the length of the pencil without moving your head too much and see if you can see all parts of it. Repeat this with the other eye and also try to notice if there is any difference between the two.
Vary the distances at which you hold the pencil, objects, etc., until they feel comfortable, and then practice this exercise for a few minutes each day for best results.
Focusing Exercise:
As we age our eye muscles tend to contract, focusing on something close up can be very difficult due to this reason. For example, a book lying a few feet away may seem blurry even though your eyesight with glasses is perfect for things that are further away from you. So one of the most effective ways of improving vision is simply by repeatedly trying to focus on near objects as long as possible without squinting or straining your eyes.
As mentioned above try fixing things such as books, papers, pencils, etc. at a certain distance from you, and while sitting in front of the object try to focus on it while doing other things or just relax. After practicing this for about 15 minutes you should see an improvement in your vision if not then repeat the exercise until you do achieve better vision.
It is worth mentioning here that these exercises are believed to be most effective when practiced after using proper eye drops regarding eyesight correction because they seem to increase blood flow throughout the entire body which seems to benefit the eye muscles as well.
Benefits of Eye Exercises:
Eye exercises improve treatment outcomes by increasing circulation into the optic nerve (the center of the retina). Additional benefits include increased contrast sensitivity (ability to distinguish faint objects), depth perception, color discrimination, and visual acuity.
Eye exercises also increase refractive ability by lengthening the eyes’ natural resting period while focusing on a near object. The emphasis of these exercises is to reduce stress in the eye muscles so they can relax enough for focusing at different distances without becoming strained or uncomfortable which could lead to a loss of vision over time if left untreated.
These exercises are designed primarily to treat high myopia but it is best not to go beyond 10X (ten times) magnification when putting any printed material closer than 24 inches away from your eyes. You should start out using 8X (eight times) magnification and work your way up if you feel comfortable doing this; otherwise, begin with 6X (six times) magnification and then move up to 10X (ten times) if you can.
How to improve eyesight:
There are also lots of recipes to treat various eye problems and improve eyesight. Here we have mentioned some of them in the below list:
1) Lemon with honey and pepper This is a very powerful recipe for treating myopia and strabismus. It is an excellent remedy for improving eyesight if taken regularly in the proper dose. Grate four or five lemons; add three or four tablespoonsful of sugar (according to the age), add one teaspoonful of salt and one tablespoonful of cayenne pepper powder; add water to make like a syrup; take three times daily after meals on empty stomach.
2) Yogurt with lukewarm water Regular consumption of yogurt increases strength in the eyes considerably when consumed regularly. Drink about a cup of lukewarm water on an empty stomach or first thing in the morning, without disturbing your sleep.
3) Banana with milk To improve eyesight, consume bananas and milk regularly at least three times a day before taking meals as they possess vitamin A that is responsible for good eyesight. One should take as little as possible as it may cause some other health issues as well as constipation.
4) Yogurt mixed with black pepper Peel eight to ten green coriander seeds and crush them lightly using a mortar pestle until you have a powder-like texture. Mix this powder with one teaspoon of honey and half a cup of yogurt until it forms a fine mixture. Consume two tablespoons every morning on an empty stomach.
5) Moong dal with milk Take one cup of moong dal (green gram), soak overnight, peel it the next morning, grind it to a fine paste using water and filter it using a muslin cloth so that you have a container full of moong dal milk.
Now add one teaspoon of sugar and honey to the mixture until you get your desired sweetness. This is very effective in treating myopia as well as other eye problems if taken regularly for about three months or more.