• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Seven secrets to great eyesight

I am pleased to share a blog post by Joy Thompson, an experienced Natural Vision Educator in British Columbia, Canada. I work with Joy and so wanted to get her valuable insiders tips on how to have healthy eyes.  You will learn what to eat, what practices to do and how to look great whilst seeing the world in a new light. Since I have been conscious of caring for my eyes, they feel more relaxed, I see better and most excitingly, my face looks younger!

Nutrition is vital for healthy eyes

Your eyes are extremely nutritionally demanding because of the constant work they are doing, yet eyes are the first to lose out if eating a poor diet. So what you eat matters not only to your health, and how you look physically but also how well you see

7. Eat a rainbow

A diet that emphasizes vegetables of many colours – lots of dark green vegetables; kale, broccoli, lettuces, chard, these are rich in antioxidants.   Enjoy orange and red veggies and fruit; oranges, apricots, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, plums, berries- this time of year is ideal as they are fresh in season. Fresh juices are beneficial and bring you your daily Vitamin C which is required by your eyes, as well as other important antioxidants. Also, lots of fresh water with a bit of lemon keeps your system hydrated and balanced.  Seafood, fish and sea vegetables are also very rich in the minerals required by our multi-tasking visual system.

6. Cut out caffeine!

Minimize caffeine, including energy drinks, alcohol, sugar and hydrogenated fats – these are all enemies of detail seeing and focus.

5. Sun yourself

Our eyes need the stimulation of full-spectrum light, so during these summer months, get out in the morning or late afternoon sunshine without sunglasses and let yourself take the sunshine in!  Blink often to stimulate your eye muscles and keep your cornea refreshed. 4. Palming your eyes Because our days can be very long and visually demanding, eyes need to relax deeply, often.  Make a habit of palming your eyes three times a day to relax and rejuvenate them.

• To palm, simply sit at a desk and place your cupped hands over your closed eyes.  (I rub my hands together before palming, to make them warm and full of energy.)

• There should be nothing touching your eyeball; just a warm pocket of air covering them.

• Breathe deeply and allow your eyes to rest in the dark space behind your hands – this gives the cells on your retina a much needed break from close work and tension.

• You’ll soon be able to feel how refreshing a few minutes of palming and deep breathing can be!

• When coming out of palming, remove your hands and give your eyes a minute to adjust to the light, then open them and blink 30 times or so.

3. Don’t be a slave to the computer

Don’t overtax your eyes with reading and computer work – take breaks often – look out into the far distance and feel your eyes relax, and then palm when you can.

2. Breathe!

Remember to always breathe deeply … if you have a personal meditation, or yoga/ tai chi practice that emphasizes deep breathing, this will help your body to remember to take air in more deeply, and thus stay more relaxed, as you are working.

1. Be curious

When learning or researching something new, take the approach of learning for the enjoyment of it, rather than learning under stress (which is more the norm in our society).   When we are enjoying what we are studying, our eyes stay relaxed and our appreciative brain takes in and retains the information much more easily. (William Bates, the creator of Natural Vision Improvement, found that it is the combination of mental tension and physical visual tension that creates blurr in seeing.)

I couldn’t resist…. a FREE… Bonus tip!

Rest in the evening and do your best to get a sound sleep in a darkened room.  As much as possible, think happy thoughts!  Create experiences for yourself that you enjoy – such as a simple walk, or rest under a beautiful shady tree, a conversation with a special friend, or whatever makes you happy.  Keep your life as pleasurable as possible, and your eyes will be happier as well!

Be sure to sign up for Joy’s Vision Tips newsletter.  You’ll see the world in a whole new light!

©Joy Thompson2011 ©ActualOrganics2011