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While you can’t get your vision back with exercise, you can significantly improve the health of your eyes
Do you dream of seeing better without glasses or contact lenses? The Internet is full of tips and “unique methods” that promise almost instant vision restoration at home. But how real are these promises? RBC-Ukraine tells us what methods exist to improve eyesight at home.
It should be clearly understood – such conditions as myopia (myopia), hyperopia (hypermetropia), astigmatism, as well as age-related diseases (cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration) cannot be completely “cured” only by home methods. They require professional diagnosis and correction or treatment.
What can you really do at home to maintain your eyesight?
While you can’t get your vision back with exercise, you can greatly improve the health of your eyes, relieve stress, and perhaps slow the progression of some problems a bit. Here are effective methods:
The 20-20-20 rule
Indispensable for those who work a lot on a computer or smartphone. Every 20 minutes, pause for 20 seconds and look at an object 6 metres (20 feet) or further away. This helps relax the eye muscles responsible for focusing.
Eye exercises (to relieve eye fatigue)
Simple exercises can reduce tension and improve circulation:
- Palming: Rub your palms together to warm them and gently cover your closed eyes with them for 1-2 minutes without pressing.
- Eye movements: Smoothly move your eyes up and down, left and right, diagonally, draw “figure eights”. Do it without sudden movements and tension.
- Focusing: Alternately focus your gaze on a near object (for example, a finger at a distance of 20-30 cm) and a distant object (for example, a tree outside the window).
These exercises are designed to relax and train accommodation, but do not correct myopia or astigmatism.
Balanced diet
Eye health is directly dependent on vitamins and micronutrients. Include in your diet:
- Foods rich in vitamin A (carrots, pumpkin, liver).
- Leafy greens (spinach, kale) – sources of lutein and zeaxanthin.
- Citrus fruits, berries, kiwi – sources of vitamin C.
- Nuts, seeds – sources of vitamin E and zinc.
- Fatty sea fish (salmon, mackerel) – a source of omega-3 fatty acids.
What to watch out for?
Be critical of any “guaranteed” methods of full vision restoration through exercise alone (like the Bates method, which has no scientific evidence of effectiveness) or dubious drops and devices from the internet.
No home efforts can replace regular preventive examinations by an ophthalmologist (once every 1-2 years, if there are no complaints, and more often – on recommendation). Only a specialist can:
- Correctly diagnose the cause of visual impairment.
- Early detection of serious diseases that are asymptomatic (e.g. glaucoma).
- Prescribe adequate correction (glasses, lenses) or treatment.
See a doctor immediately if you notice – sudden deterioration or loss of vision, “flashes”, “lightning”, sudden appearance of a large number of “flies”, pain in the eye, double vision.
