There has been an awful lot of marketing and advertising about laser eye treatments/eye surgery. It does sound exciting, the fact of having no more glasses and contact lenses, and having the freedom of clear vision. But is it really worth it? Considering that it is traumatising the eyes themselves.
I do know someone who has had it, and so it seems to have “worked” for them. But when I heard of things like this it got me a little excited. This was even after trying eye exercises off and on for a while (obviously my eyesight improved, but I was still myopic to a fair degree). This excitement was before doing further research into what actually goes on in the surgery. It would be stupid to say that this surgery does not damage the eye. It does damage it. If you are not familiar with eye surgery then you really should research it. Someone who has Myopia (short sightedness) has an American football shaped eye, so the focal point is not at the retina, but somewhere forward of there. What eye surgery does is it slices a flap of the cornea, peels it back, a laser then peels a tiny layer from under the flap, and then the flap is replaced. What this essentially does is force the light to focus at the retina. As you can hear from the description it does not sound too nice. Who would choose to have that done? We can also see that it actually treats the symptoms but not the cause. The real reason the eyes became weak in the first place has not been remedied, the eyes are likely to deteriorate. Granted it may take a number of years for this to happen, but it is likely to happen. There is an alternative though. Learning to relax your eyes while strengthening them through exercise. Embarking on an eye exercise routine can be done, like any exercise, at varying levels i.e. for a few minutes now and again, or embarking on a regimen of up to 30 minutes each day. This takes some dedication, and results are not immediately seen. But persistence will pay off.
More information about exercising the eyes can be found elsewhere on this site. For example, The muscles of the eye and how to exercise them is an article I wrote which teaches you exactly how to do that. Even a few minutes of eye exercise per day helps. You can take these exercises as far as you like. Here is a great video that can show you how to deal with computer eye strain. After all, you are reading this on a computer! It doesn’t take very long to do, and if you are using a computer you should be taking regular breaks. Remember the 10-10-10 rule.
There are lots of vision improvement books, courses, audio books, charts, tools, you name it. Before you hand over your hard earned cash you can do a search on google for free information. On Google Books you can view the book that started it all – Better eyesight without glasses by W H Bates (the link will take you to a version that you can read online, for free). The book was a revolution – and a shock to the established ophthalmologists. It is strange however that they are still taught at college and medical school that eyesight cannot be taught naturally. A great website full of downloadable e-books and magazines is http://www.cleareyesight.info. Feel free to post other links and resources that you might find!
The human eye has six muscles that control its movement in the eye socket. These muscles, like any other muscles, can be toned, too tight, or too loose. With the stresses and strains of modern living most of our muscles are in a state of tension – which directly affect the shape of the eyeball. Eye exercises can tone these muscles. Toned muscles are in a relaxed state of readiness almost. It has been said that the greatest form of tension is lack of usage. Ask anyone who hardly moves how much energy they have. Then look at someone who exercises regularly. These eye muscles then provide information about what exercises will target what muscles. The muscles in the eyes are:
Elevator of the eyelid – raises the upper eyelid
Superior oblique – rolls the eyeball
Superior rectus – turns the front (cornea) upwards
External rectus – turns the front (cornea) outwards
Internal rectus – turns the front (cornea) inwards
Inferior oblique – rolls the eyeball
Inferior rectus – turns the front (cornea) downwards
The primary muscle to affect the shape of the eyeball is the superior oblique muscle (number 2). A simple eye rolling exercise, controlled so it takes 10 seconds or so to perform one rotation done for 1 minute each direction will target this muscle. Practice this everyday along with other muscles. This is a great video which shows how this muscle works.
The second most complex organ of the body is the eye. The brain is the most complex organ, but a good percentage of the brain is dedicated to vision. The eyes are working from the moment you open them in the morning up until you close them at night. Hundreds of thousands of messages are sent to your brain throughout the day. Your eyes deserve to be kept in good condition. Here are a few tips to ensure good eye health:
Eat the right food
Carrots are good for your eyes mainly because of a vitamin called beta carotene. As a part of a healthy diet, carrots provide some of the nutrients needed for eye health. Try and eat a diet high in Vitamin C and E, Zinc and Omega 3 (vegetables, fruit, sea food et al) you are less likely to suffer from eye disorders such as age related macular degeneration.
Rest your eyes regularly
Using computer screens for long periods of time can be slowly straining your eyes causing them to become tired. Regular breaks from computers can prevent eye fatigue and also reduce the likelihood of developing certain eye conditions. Regular blinking also gives the eyes a brief rest and moisturises them stopping them from becoming dry and tired.
Early detection of eye diseases
Some eye diseases are hereditary so it is very important to know your families history of eye health. Families with a history of conditions such as cataracts, age related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy have a high risk of developing these diseases, so early detection and regular eye checkups are essential. Many of these disorders are age related with a greater chance of your eye health declining the older you get. Intervention as early as possible can increase the success of treatment and recovery. If you do have problems with your eyes or show any symptoms of pain, any change in vision or headaches, seek medical advice immediately. Keep in regular contact with your optician especially as you get older.
Give up smoking
Smoking is bad for your health, period. It also has a bearing your eyes. If you smoke, or have smoked, you are far more likely to suffer from eye problems than people who haven’t.
A healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals is not only key to general health, but key to healthy eyes and eyesight. If your diet is high in processed or “fast” foods there is a chance your body is not getting the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it neccessary to function well. That means your eyes or your vision may also suffer. There is evidence suggesting a good diet may help protect at risk patients against certain eye diseases including macular degeneration.
Eat plenty of green and leafy green vegetables and fruits. One way to ensure you are getting the right vitamins, and the right combination of vitamins is to take supplements. It has been found that the body absorbes nutrients from multivitamins easier than it does from food. A daily multi vitamin and mineral supplement will help increase the odds we are getting the vitamins and minerals needed to protect against certain age related eye diseases. Research suggests that antioxidants may be beneficial for our eye health. Lutein and Zeaxanthin (found in fruit and vegetables) can also help promote eye health, and compliment other antioxidants including vitamins A, C and E. Make sure your multivitamin contains all of these substances if you want better vision.
As I love the subject of natural vision improvement I am constantly on the lookout for new ways and technologies for natural vision improvement. When I came across the “EyeRelax” I was immediately struck with disbelief. Here is what they say about themselves:
EyeRelax is an award winning visual-spectrum medical device clinically programmed to improve shortsightedness or myopia commonly cause by tired eyes.
Its patented light-spectrum technology stimules the retina cells and vision nerves to improve the photosensitivity of the eyes. It is also enhanced with visual near-far stimulation to effectively prevent and control myopia caused by tired ciliary muscle.
EyeRelax is the most effective, safe, non-invasive, non-medicinal device for the control of myopia.
National University of Malaysia (UKM) and SIM University Singapore, have just successfully concluded a study on the effectiveness of EyeRelax therapy.
I will have to investigate this a lot more, and at the price of $580 USD a LOT of research would have to be done before you purchased it. If it does work then it is cheaper than laser eye surgery. Find out more from their website.
How else would you monitor the progress of your natural vision exercises than test them with the Snellen eye chart. There are many sites out there that have printable examples of this chart, but the best one I have come across is from I-See.org. This site has many versions of the chart, and the beauty of the thing is that it is free! The downloads section of the site has a printable PDF version of the chart as well as postscript. Enjoy!
