How to Improve Eyesight: 7 Natural Solutions

How can I naturally improve my eyesight?

1. Increase antioxidant intake
2. Take carotenoids
3. Stay fit
4. Manage chronic conditions
5. Use protective eyewear
6. Follow a 20-20-20 routine
7. Keep hands and eyewear clean

 

Eyesight issues can develop as we age — they’re most commonly experienced by those between the mid-40s and early 50s. They can make tasks like reading, working on computers, driving, seeing in the dark, and others difficult. However, this is a normal change, as our eye’s ability to see will change over time.

Luckily, there are many ways to boost your vision, and even slow down your eyes’ process of degeneration. If you’re interested in knowing how to improve your eyesight, read on! In this article, we cover seven natural solutions to protecting your eyes.

 

Increase antioxidant intake

Antioxidants are an essential nutrient to protect your eye health. With an antioxidant-rich diet, you can slow down macular degeneration — which is what makes our vision more and more unfocused over time.

A variety of fruits, vegetables, fatty acids, and extracts contain these important antioxidants, such as:

• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Sweet Potato
• Red Peppers
• Salmon
• Flaxseed
• Citrus Fruits
• Grapes

We highly recommend supplementing with multivitamins and the like to increase antioxidant intake.

 

Take carotenoids

Another nutrient you should be paying attention to are carotenoids. Specifically, you need two: lutein and zeaxanthin, to improve eyesight. Carotenoids are phytonutrients that our body uses to create macular pigment, which is an important component in clear vision, absorbing harmful blue light, and preventing light sensitivity.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in many leafy green veggies, such as spinach, kale, parsley. They can also be found in seeds and nuts, such as pistachios and green peas. Some animal products, like eggs, also contain small amounts of this nutrient. They can also be taken through supplements.

 

Stay fit

Lifestyle is another way you can maintain eye health. Proper exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can even improve your eyesight. This is because weight-related conditions, such as diabetes, can cause damage to the blood vessels in your eyes. This can leak blood and fluid into your retina — the light-sensitive area of your eye — worsening vision over time.

By staying fit, you can keep symptoms of other conditions at bay. Regular exercise can help maintain healthy blood pressure and sugar levels, which prevents blood vessel damage.

 

Manage chronic conditions

Diabetes isn’t the only condition that can cause complications to eye health. Other issues, such as multiple sclerosis, can affect your vision. This is because these conditions come with chronic inflammation, which causes harm to all of your bodily systems — including your eyes.

When optic nerves get inflamed, for example, it can cause pain and impaired vision. This may, perhaps, make most people rely on accessibility solutions like grab bars when navigating spaces. While some chronic conditions can’t be avoided or reversible after they’ve set in, it’s beneficial to follow best practices and habits to manage their symptoms.

For example, taking an anti-inflammatory drink like Bona Vita’s 8-in-1 Coffee can help reduce symptoms of inflammation, which helps improve and protect your eyesight.

 

Use protective eyewear

Another step on how to improve eyesight is to wear the appropriate protective eyewear during certain activities. Working with power tools, doing experiments in your school labs, playing sports like racquetball — all instances where your eyes could get damaged. So it’s vital to protect them with tough and durable goggles or glasses to prevent things like particulates, chemicals, sharp objects, and the like from harming your eyes.

Aside from goggles, having a pair of sunglasses is also a good tool for improving your eyesight. They aren’t just for looking cool — they shield your eyes from UVA and UVB radiation from direct sunlight. These two types of radiation can cause issues like cataracts, eye degeneration, and harmful tissue growth.

 

Follow a 20-20-20 routine

Every day we use our eyes for work, school, and other tasks. As a result, they can be subjected to plenty of strain, which can temporarily affect your vision. So, give your eyes a break now and then to avoid straining your eyes too much. This is especially important if you’re looking at a laptop screen for hours at a time.

We recommend following the 20-20-20 routine. This means that every 20 minutes or so, you should take a break from your screen and look at something else around 20 feet away for 20 seconds. If this slips your mind, don’t worry. Taking a short break and closing your eyes once every hour or two should also do fine for de-stressing your eyes.

 

Keep hands and eyewear clean

In general, practicing good hygiene and keeping the things you use daily clean can prevent a lot of health problems. When it comes to your eyes, which are exposed to the air, cleanliness is a good habit to protect and improve their health.

Your eyes are especially vulnerable to irritation and infection, which can temporarily impair your eyesight. If this happens multiple times, however, it could lead to permanent problems. For this reason, we recommend always washing your hands before rubbing or touching your eyes. Likewise, clean any eyewear regularly, such as your glasses or contact lenses.

 

Key Takeaway

In short, living a wholesome and healthy lifestyle is key in our guide on how to improve eyesight. Eating vegetables, washing your hands, exercising regularly — while these good habits are often linked to other benefits, these also help protect and even enhance your eye health in the long run.