Do you have glasses on while you read this? If you are over 40, you probably do. Eyesight can begin to change in our 40’s when we notice we now hold the 
restaurant menu further away or need more light to read. We would swear that the print on vitamin bottles and ingredient lists are getting smaller. This is due to the fact that the natural lens in your eye is not as flexible as it used to be. You may begin to get headaches when you read and feel that your eyes are drier, especially upon waking or at the end of the day. The pupils of the eyes can even begin to get smaller which makes it more difficult to see at night.
Since 80% of our sensory input is derived from the eyes, we want to preserve them – they bring us so much joy and quality of life. But, did you know you might be able to change that? Yes, you can reverse some of the aging process.
Foods to eat that can help improve eyesight:
- Kale, spinach, oranges, peaches, tomatoes, red bell peppers – all help support the blood vessels in the eyes and contain 2 key components – lutien and zeaxanthin – 2 powerful antioxidants.
- Nuts, eat plenty; they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids
- Tuna, salmon and sardines are rich in oils
Since our foods are gown in mineral deficient soil and our eyes need them for good health, we need to add the following nutrients to our diet:
- Antioxidants such as: vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E
The three common faults of vision are not using the peripheral vision, staring without focusing, and not moving the eyes enough. This occurs while watching TV, being on the computer and texting. Try limiting TV viewing to an hour a day, especially for children. You should be at least 3 meters away from the screen, preferably further. It is helpful to sit with good posture as this will help the blood flow around your body and to your eyes.
On the computer too much? If you work on computers all day it is going to be more difficult for you to limit your viewing. Exercise your eyes and give them a much-needed break by doing this every day:
- Be sure you look away from the computer about every half an hour.
- Look at something about 6 meters away for about 10 seconds. Really focus on it. Let the eyes do some work. This will help strengthen the muscles.
- Then look at something about 3 meters away for about 10 seconds, and again really focus on it.
- Repeat this with a few different objects at different distances every half an hour. If you manage to keep this up, you will reduce the deterioration of your eyes through watching the computer screen.
I have also heard of the 20-20-20 rule from my optometrist: every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. The muscles in our eyes shorten when spending long periods of time in front of the computer. Looking away and focusing on something further away will help lengthen those muscles again.
I wish you an abundant fall and winter filled with much love, passion and adventure. As always I am here to support you in this life journey and love your feedback. See you soon!