Sight plays an important and unique role in our lives. The majority of sensory input received from the world is visual. We can see a smile from a distance and instantly know that a person’s mood or intentions. We can get excited just by seeing a loved one. When danger is present, sight provides an advantage over all other senses. For most people, sight is the last sense they want to lose.
If you’re vision is getting worse, that doesn’t mean you’re going to end up blind. Not all vision problems share the same cause, nor the same prognosis. If you’re worried about poor eyesight leading to blindness, begin with natural ways to improve vision, and consider the following options:
1. Remove your cataracts with a lens replacement
Cataracts can show up as slightly blurred vision and progress into faded colors, double vision, and excessive glare from lights. However, the presence of cataracts doesn’t mean you have to end up blind. Cataracts develop on the lens of the eye, and that lens can be replaced with surgery.
According to the National Eye Institute, more than half of all Americans will develop cataracts by age 80. Cataracts are caused by the clumping of protein that is normally arranged to allow light to pass through the lens. With cataract surgery, the entire lens is removed and replaced.
The cool part about getting a lens replacement is you can choose what type of vision you want to have after the surgery. You can choose distance vision, reading vision, distance plus some reading vision, or monovision. Monovision is distance vision in one eye and reading vision in the other.
2. Stop smoking
Research like the Framingham studies provides evidence that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of developing nuclear lens opacities (cataracts). This risk is greater for heavy smokers. The study analyzed 660 people between 52-80 years who had no lens opacities at the start of the study. By the end of the 12.5-year study, 381 people developed lens opacities. Nuclear lens opacities were found to increase in participants who smoked daily.
To avoid developing cataracts, experts at the Swagel Wootton Eye Institute recommend quitting smoking in addition to taking the right vitamins and protecting your eyes from the sun.
If you’re a smoker, it’s not just cataracts you have to worry about. Due to the increase in blood pressure, smokers are also at risk for glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
3. Manage your blood sugar
What does blood sugar have to do with vision? A whole lot. While blurred vision can be caused by conjunctivitis, eye infections, glaucoma, and cataracts, it can also be caused by high blood sugar.
Uncontrolled high blood sugar creates pressure that can cause blood vessels to bleed in the back of your eyes. This is called diabetic retinopathy, and can be prevented with regular eye exams and getting your blood sugar under control.
4. Try the Bates Method
Rumor has it, poor eyesight is caused by weak eye muscles, and all you need to do is exercise those muscles. The truth is, vision is compromised when your eye muscles are too tense, and you need to relax your eye muscles. A popular method for relaxing the eye muscles is the Bates Method.
Created by board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. William H. Bates more than 100 years ago, this method helps you discover what’s causing your eye strain, teaches you how to let it go, and helps you get your vision back.
The Bates Method teaches you to relax the strain on your eye muscles instead of opting for glasses that just create more strain. “By wearing glasses, you’re essentially retraining your eyes to strain in order to see all day long,” says Dr. Mercola. “Ideally, you’ll want to remove your glasses whenever you can safely do so. Also make sure you have appropriate lighting, especially when reading.”
Reducing the strain on your eyes isn’t a medical intervention, but it’s been proven to be highly effective and worth trying out.
Correct your vision now to protect your future kids
In 2012, a majority of the population (61%) reported wearing glasses or other visual aids occasionally. That number has significantly risen in 2019. Nobody’s certain why so many people today need glasses, but there are theories. It seems that no matter the cause, poor eyesight can be genetically inherited, since many kids need glasses as young as two or three years old.
If you plan on having kids, take care of your vision today. Give them every possible advantage in life, including the possibility of good vision.