Is there a way to boost eyesight naturally?

A. I feel that my eyesight is deteriorating. I can’t see very far and sometimes, even things that are close look blurred. Is there a way to improve my eyesight naturally without resulting to prescription glasses?

Q. Our eyes enable us to see by bending (refracting) light rays and focussing them on the retina at the back of the eye. When we focus on a near object, tiny muscles contract and make the lens fatter. To focus on a distant object, another set of muscles contracts and flattens the lens. In a short-sighted person, the image of a distant object is focussed just in front of the retina. In a long-sighted person, a near object is focussed just behind the retina. In both cases, the resulting image will be fuzzy.
The first step in deciding what needs to be done to improve your eyesight is to see an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) who will do tests to determine how bad your eyesight is and what remedy you will need. Some people claim there are exercises that can help reduce tension in the muscles around the eyes, enabling the muscles to act more efficiently and, therefore, improving focussing ability and visions. Some of those who have tried these exercises claim to no longer need glasses, but there is really no medical evidence to support such a theory.
Both short and long sightedness can run in families, and factors such as long hours of study or too many hours focussed on the computer screen may influence eyesight. Also, many medical conditions can affect vision. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the best-known examples. Increasing evidence shows a diet rich in plant antioxidants from fruit and vegetables may help prevent age-related eyesight degeneration. Carrots are especially good for eye health. You can also use supplements to support long-term eye health such as Vitabiotics Visionace Plus, available in some pharmacies. You should visit an optician every two years for review, particularly if you wear glasses.

Published April 2017