Eyesight and vision
We want our beautiful gifts to remain high functioning and healthy throughout our lives.
- Genetics – we get what we get?
- Lifestyle – our choices matter.
- Smoking & Exposure – cessation.
- Mold Exposure – did you know?
- Blood sugar – get balancing.
- Work risks – do you use protection?
- UV Rays – sunglasses look cool!
- Eye care – drops, make-up, contacts…
Eye exercises can be fun! Look at the above stereogram image and allow your gaze to soften and blur and a 3D image will be revealed.
Let’s explore these points more in-depth so that you can take the best steps to honour your body and quality of life. We will also visit what to look for in choosing eye supplements and eye care products.
Genetics
Our eye colour (though this can easily be changed with contacts), hereditary diseases, and nearsightedness have their roots in genetics. While many enjoy their genetic inheritance, others need to maintain specific care and treatment. Thankfully, epigenetics can cater to our genetics and that often presents factors we can control.
Lifestyle
Water, exercise, nutrition and sleep; these four foundations of health affect everything about our state of well-being.
Excessive consumption of fast or processed foods lacks the antioxidants needed for long-term eye health. The eyes, linked to the liver, in energetic medicine need a healthy functioning liver. Choosing fresh foods with a variety of colours provides the best nutrient-dense dietary care for your eyes.
Exercise can help eye health? Absolutely! Cardio increases circulation and can help lower blood pressure and pressure within the eye. There are plenty of eye exercises that can be done to help strengthen the eyes and takes only a few minutes.
Sleep, sweet precious sleep can make a difference in how we feel, and the choices we make, and can improve immune function. Sleep helps maintain tears for eye lubrication.
Smoking & Exposure to Smoke
If you smoke, here stands a compelling reason for cessation. This addiction can directly aggravate eye health, exacerbating genetic predisposition towards macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, and more. Vitamin A, typically excellent for eye health, can present a heightened risk for lung cancer.
Limiting exposure to smoke is crucial for everybody, especially infants and children.
Mold Exposure
One factor that may be easily overlooked is exposure to mold. Homes and older buildings can easily have growths of black mold that can be problematic for many health issues but also that of the eyes. Testing to see mold toxins present in your body can help provide direction. Common symptoms include watery, red, swollen, itchy eyes.
Blood Sugar
Fluctuations in blood sugar do not bode well for eye health. Long-term imbalances affect the whole body, from hormones, fertility, and energy levels, to the integrity of the eyes. The effect of high blood sugar, seen within diabetes, especially untreated hyperglycemia, can cause blurry vision and lead the way towards a slurry of eye problems. Thankfully, blood sugar balance can be addressed through diet, exercise, water intake, stress management, sleep and positive thinking.
Work and School Risks
Exposure to heavy metals, debris, dust particles and mold spores can be prevented with proper protection.
Eye strain and light sensitivity from screen time require breaks. As a society dependent upon screens, limiting time staring at screens is incredibly important.
Leisure time works best away from screens. Rather than watching short videos, get outside, or take some time to create in your kitchen, or whatever other activity brings joy to you. Cupping your eyes by rubbing your hands together and placing the palms over the eyes (without touching the eyeballs) is helpful when sitting in front of the computer for long hours.
UV Rays
Sunshine feels wonderful and it lights up the beautiful colours we enjoy seeing! Wearing sunglasses can moderate the intensity of the UV rays. Eyelid skin compares thinner than the skin on the body.
Protecting your eyes with sunglasses with UV protection can be a fun fashion statement!
Eye Care
Wearing contacts and rubbing eyes are the primary ways we interact with our eyes. Practicing caution matters. Hand-washing before touching helps prevent infections and conscientiously cleaning the eyes from sleep (washing your face in the morning). If an eye feels irritated, flush the eye with cool water only.
Mascara, eyeliners, and eyelashes (glue or magnetic) ought to be clean and never applied while driving. Eyelash extensions need to be applied and removed professionally.
Eye drops purchased over the counter may contain ingredients that over time or overused can harm the eye. Drops to clear redness from the eyes can cause damage to the vessels if used too often.
Eye surgery requires specific attention to heal properly. Be sure to follow aftercare directions.
Supplements:
Vitamins and Minerals: The fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E) support eye health. Calcium, zinc, magnesium and selenium, ideally from food sources, play a role. Supplementation is useful for added support if needed.
Essential Fatty Acids: Beneficial for modulating inflammation, omega-3 fatty acids support eye health via the central nervous system.
Antioxidants: Phytochemicals are powerful! From the vibrant colours they contribute to our foods, they serve as a means to reduce the effects of oxidation from age and exposure to damaging elements. Vitamin C serves as an antioxidant and can be obtained from fresh foods, herbs and roots. Traditionally blue foods, blueberries and bilberries, are used, but truly any and all antioxidants are great, and fantastic examples are lutein, lycopene, quercetin, resveratrol, astaxanthin and more.
Amino Acids: Dietary protein facilitates phase 2 of liver metabolism. Cysteine forms a tripeptide with glycine and glutamic acid to create glutathione, an endogenous antioxidant. Cysteine is best found in fresh fruits and vegetables and can be supplemented. N-acetyl-carnosine, in drops, can reduce the glycation of proteins, and their end-products, and can be incredibly helpful with night glare.
Treat your eyes well and they will serve you well for many years to come. Knowing what might affect our eye health and what we can do to preserve, enhance and enjoy our vision is a step in the right direction.
