Eye Health: Essential Nutrients And Simple Eye Exercises

Herbal eye washes have been used for centuries to strengthen the eyes and improve vision. Eye washes can be used for tired, inflamed as well as infected eyes.

Splash the eyes in cold water. Hold the top half of the head in a bowl of cold water so that the eyes are in the water, but the nostrils are not. Open eyes under the water. Eye cups can also be used.

This causes the blood vessels of the eyes to contract and then relax. This is excellent to practice when the eyes are getting lots of use from reading and sitting in front of a computer.

Nutritional Therapy For A Healthy Eyesight

Herbal Remedies

Only use herbs that are traditionally used for eye washes such as chamomile flower, cornflower, elderflower, eyebright herb, fennel seed, raspberry leaf, red clover blossoms, or rue herb.

Eyewashes use herb amounts that are somewhat weaker than tea. Some even claim they can improve vision.

Make eyewashes fresh for each day being used to avoid introducing bacteria into the eyes. Whatever is not used in one treatment should be refrigerated and then allowed to reach room temperature before using or slightly warmed.

Especially in cases of eye infections, it is important to sterilize the eyecup. It can be done either by running it through the dishwasher with a heat dry cycle or by filling the cup with boiling water for a minute and discarding the water.

Steps To Make And Use An Herbal Eye Wash

1. Place one scant teaspoon of herb in a cup of distilled water and simmer at a low boil for 10 minutes to assure sterility.
2. Cool the herb tea to body temperature, before administering.
3. Be sure to use a very fine strainer (a coffee filter is excellent!) to avoid getting particles of herbs in the eyes.
4. Pour the well-strained tea into a sterilized eyecup.
5. Lean back and pour the mixture into the eyes, being sure to blink several times so the eye is well bathed.
6. Then lean forward into a sink to catch the remaining solution and repeat with the other eye.

A Chinese herbal tea blend that is traditionally used to improve eye health and taken one quart daily as a tea, is made with equal parts of lycii berries, ho shou wu, red jujube dates, and chrysanthemum flowers.

Vitamins And Minerals For Eye Care

Certain vitamins and minerals can be vital to healthy eyes. Vitamin A is manufactured in the liver from carotene. If the body is deficient in vitamin A, the cells’ ability to make visual purple is impaired and night blindness, dry eyes, and loss of color vision may result.

People who work in bright lights, sunlight, snow, face car headlights, as well as folks having to see in the dark may benefit from this nutrient.

The lenses of our eyes contain more Vitamin C than any other body part, except some endocrine glands.

How To Exercise Your Eyes: 7 Steps

Nutritional therapy for poor eyesight is a good place to begin, but it is also necessary to distribute these valuable elements throughout the body with proper exercises.

Eyes should get exercise just like any other portion of the body. Eye exercises can increase circulation and tonify the six muscles attached to our eyeballs.

An exercise that has greatly improved vision for many people is:

1. Keeping the head still, look up and down 7 times. Close eyes to rest 10 seconds.
2. Look from one side to the other 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
3. Look diagonally from one direction to the other 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
4. Look diagonally from the opposite direction to the other 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
5. Roll the eyes in an upper half circle and back 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
6. Roll eyes in a lower half circle and back 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
7. Place the backs of both hands over closed eyes and rest for a full minute.

Another simple way to exercise the eyes is to hold a finger or pen 10 or 12 inches away from the face, focus on the tip then look off into the distance.

Repeat several times. Turn the head from side to side as if saying no emphatically.