10 Ways to Improve Your Vision Naturally

Are you taking the right steps to improve your vision naturally? As we age, our eyesight begins to decline. That’s inevitable. But, when we start to see signs of declining vision, our first instinct is to get glasses, contacts, or even surgery depending on the underlying condition. It’s unfortunate that so many people choose these options when you can improve your vision naturally. You can take advantage of less invasive and more holistic solutions.

It’s important to understand your vision condition, then assess every aspect of your lifestyle and make appropriate changes. If you’re open to improving your vision (well, duh!), then check out these 10 natural ways to do so.

1. Protect Your Eyes from Damage

Your eyes are extremely vulnerable to your environment. Air pollution, particles, UV rays, and blue light can all cause damage. It’s crucial you protect your eyes from these culprits if you want to improve your vision. To start, always wear UVA and UVB protection sunglasses when you go outside. Too much sun exposure can lead to a sunburn-like condition on the eyes called photokeratitis. When you look at devices like smartphones and laptops, be aware of the blue light emitted, as blue light exposure can cause macular degeneration. Wear sunglasses and use blue-light filters to save your eyes from damage.

2. Learn About Your Family’s Vision Health

You can live a healthy life and still develop a vision-altering eye disease. We all inherit different risks from our parents in our genes, so do your research on which eye conditions are common in your family line. If your parents, grandparents, or even further back, had glaucoma, you could too. Perhaps type 2 diabetes was common, or cataracts. By knowing what you have a higher risk of developing a vision condition, you can work to prevent it. This step might not improve your vision, but it will prevent further decline.

3. Avoid Inflammation in the Eyes

Inflammation in the eyes is called uveitis, which can be a sign of a ton of underlying causes. And, it can lead to vision loss and blindness. If you notice redness, pain, blurry vision, or abnormal sensitivity to light, see your eye doctor. There are four main types of uveitis with different causes. In all cases, early detection and treatment are key. You can prevent some forms of inflammation in the eye by never touching them with unwashed hands, or by wearing protective glasses when working with machinery or chemicals. To improve your vision, protect your eyes from inflammation.

4. Exercise Your Eyes Every Day

Every part of your body benefits from exercise. When you work out, your cardiovascular system switches into high gear. Blood circulation gets improved which is awesome for the eyes, especially for the optic nerve. And, all it takes is 30 minutes each day of walking, jogging, or another form of exercise you enjoy.

Regular exercise helps prevent diseases that can lead to vision loss, like diabetes. However, did you know there are specific exercises for the eyes? These eye stretches can help prevent computer vision syndrome, blurry vision, and loss of peripheral vision. Schedule five minutes every morning and every night to practice eye exercises and stretches – one of the easiest and most natural ways to improve your vision.

5. Stop Smoking and Drinking Alcohol

We all have our vices, but some are more harmful to your eyesight than others. Smoking cigarettes causes inflammation in the eyes, and can cause macular degeneration, cataracts, and cancer. Drinking alcohol causes the optic nerve to communicate more slowly with the brain. Alcoholics often have red eyes from the swollen blood vessels, along with difficulty seeing. If you want to improve your vision, quit these two vices, or at least cut back on them.

6. Eat More Antioxidants

You likely already know how impactful your diet is on your health. For the eyes, it’s crucial to eat foods high in antioxidants, like greens and berries. Free radicals occur naturally in the body; left alone, they’ll cause oxidative damage to the body and eyes. It’s hard to improve your vision when free radicals are causing macular degeneration and vision loss. Antioxidants combat the free radicals to keep their levels balanced and your eyes protected.

7. Get Enough Carotenoids

The retina is a critical part of the eyes that receives light, and it’s very vulnerable to damage emitted from blue light and UV. Carotenoids are fat-soluble pigments that protect the retina from cancer and disease. There are only two carotenoids found in the macula, a tiny part of the retina: lutein and zeaxanthin. Since no other carotenoids can protect your eyes like these two, you should really make an effort to get them in your diet or through a supplement. If not, you could develop macular degeneration and other diseases that affect your eyesight.

8. Rest Your Eyes During the Day

Your leg muscles get to rest every time you sit down, but your eyes have to wait until bedtime when you close them for 8 hours (hopefully). By waiting too long to rest your eyes, you can develop eye strain, dry eyes, and headaches. These conditions can display as blurry vision. But you can improve your vision and keep it clear by resting your eyes often. Take regular breaks to close them for a couple of minutes. Practice palming exercises to help them relax.

9. Get Enough Sleep Each Night

If resting your eyes is important, then it shouldn’t surprise you that not getting enough sleep can have negative effects on your eyes and vision. You might develop eye twitches, dryness, and redness. People with insomnia often have bloodshot eyes from popped blood vessels. A more serious effect is anterior ischemic optic neuropathy which can lead to vision loss. Try to create a consistent sleeping routine that’s quiet and cool. Use an eye mask to keep your eyelids closed. Put away your devices an hour before bedtime. To improve your vision naturally, give your eyes the rest they need.

10. Get Regular Eye Exams

The most common reasons people get glasses are refractive errors. These are conditions like myopia, presbyopia, and hyperopia. If you suffer from one of these errors, you may be wondering how to improve your vision without glasses. Luckily, if you go for regular eye exams, you can stop these conditions before they progress. When you start to notice a decline in your vision, make an appointment. Then look into natural ways to treat the condition. You should also make regular checkup appointments so your eye doctor can ensure your eyes are healthy. Early detection is key for eye diseases!

You can improve your vision naturally without the use of glasses, contacts, or surgery. It all starts with living a healthy lifestyle. Eat well, exercise often, and avoid smoking and drinking. At the first sign of change in your eyesight, see your eye doctor.