7 Natural Ways to Improve Your Vision

You may put more effort into your smartphone than you do your own vision, one of our five  senses often taken for granted. While exercise and eating right may inadvertently help, specific things can be done to increase your eye health and possibly avoid future complications.

Potentially sharpen current focus, strength and depth perception with these 7 natural ways to improve your vision. Always check with your doctor and/or optometrist or ophthalmologist before using alternative remedies to maintain proper eye health.

See Green

The power of dark green leafy vegetables continues to link so many healing properties to human health there should be some sort of national holiday to celebrate its existence. All it takes is a healthy portion of kale, collard greens, spinach or Swiss chard to strengthen your eyes.

In 2008, the American Journal of Ophthalmology cited that consuming kale and collard greens once per month decreased future eye problems by 69% in women.

Once a month sounds doable but once a day may turn you into a super healthy human. If you don’t like anything green, find ways to get them down your gullet by adding to a fruit smoothie or taking in capsule form. Your eyes (and more) depend on it.

Orange You Glad?

Be happy there are orange colored vegetables that strengthen your eyes.

There’s the wily carrot  that you can happily dip in hummus, add to a salad or use to emulate your favorite bunny character and the sweet potato full of hearty, tasty, nutrient rich goodness. Either way, these incredible roots contain high amounts of beta-carotene which, when passed through the liver, turns to vitamin A.

Vitamin A has been linked to protecting the surface of the eye known as the cornea and reducing the risk of eye diseases such as macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and Stargardt’s disease.

According to, Karen Sparrow, spokeswoman for opticians Vision Express,

“Children that are deficient in vitamin A often have dry eyes and in extreme cases can suffer from night ‘blindness’ where they have trouble seeing in the dark.’ Good sources of carotene are carrots, mangoes and cabbage. You can also find it in cod liver oil, milk and eggs.” (DailyMail

8/18/15)

LZE

Unique antioxidant properties of the combination of lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin E have been shown to act like a vision strengthening trio.

Found in vegetables, fruits and some grains,

Lutein  – Protects the eye by assisting in the formation of pigments found in the macula.

Zeaxanthin – Helps build the yellow macula pigment shield and

Vitamin E – Antioxidant, particularly against cataracts as it has been linked to neutralizing free radicals capable of damaging or even destroying eye cells.

Harvard Medical School reports on a large scale study of female health professionals that were given the LZE trio. Published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, it was found that higher dietary food sources containing lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin E were associated with significantly decreasing the risk of forming cataracts.

Protect those Peeps

The sun and surrounding atmospheric toxins can eventually take their toll on your eyes. Make sure you protect your orbs by wearing good, polarizing sunglasses not only in bright sun but also on glaring but cloudy days.

Using quality lenses you can block harmful ultraviolet rays that may otherwise lead to macular degeneration, a disease that could cause blindness. Avoid eye irritating airborne toxins, especially tobacco smoke which has been linked to damaging the optic nerve.

Bilberry

Another powerful antioxidant for vision strength is the bilberry. A close cousin to the blueberry, this fruit has been shown to contain high amounts of anthocyanins. These are water-soluble polyphenol [plant based molecule] flavonoid compounds believed to act as antimicrobials and antioxidants in plants.

Published in, ‘Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition’ it was stated that,

“Many studies have shown positive effects [of bilberry], including improvement in retinal abnormalities, increased capillary resistance, slowing of progression of lens opacity and myopia, and improved dark adaptation.”

Taking care of your eyes through nutrition, supplementation and daily topical protection is essential to maintaining healthy vision. Talk to your doctor and/or optometrist or ophthalmologist to determine if these 7 natural ways to improve your vision may be right for you. It could literally help you see into the future.