Eyes are easily damaged or stressed and need to be cared for. Headaches, poor vision, attention deficits, and lethargy can all be the result of weak or stressed eyes. Just like any part of the body, eyes need proper nutrition and a healthy workout.
Eye Strain
Wearing glasses in current society is just accepted as normal, although there are schools of thought that believe it is the problem and not the cure. TV, computer screens, and reading classroom chalkboards/displays, all contribute to weakened and stressed eyes. The muscles around the eyes get fixed in unhealthy patterns. The strain on the eye muscles makes it difficult for them to work properly, and eyesight suffers. The popular solution is wearing stronger glasses, which just weakens the eyes further. Compare it to using a wheelchair for the remainder of life because the leg muscles were overly exerted in running a race. It is obvious the wheelchair would just weaken the legs further, and the same goes for the eyes.
Bates Eye Exercises
Solutions may exist in the form of eye exercises such as the Bates method. Ophthalmologist Dr. William Bates wrote his revolutionary book in 1920. The belief is that the problem lies in the muscles around the eye that first get stressed then weakened. The goal is to first relax the eye muscles, and then strengthen them as would be done with any other muscle in the body.
The Bates method uses eye exercises that are easy to do.
- Palming – Involves covering the eyes with palms of the hands for a 3 to 15 minutes at a time when the eyes feel tired. This relaxes the muscles around the eyes and improves visual acuity.
- Sunning– Facing the sun with the eyes closed is thought to be beneficial. It accompanies the visualization of the sun being a healing and positive source. Originally the exercises called for small exposure with open eyes, although there are many that would argue this is harmful.
- Swinging – Variations on movement are used to relax the eyes. One such exercise involves focusing the eyes on a finger tip while the body rocks from side to side. This helps develop peripheral vision.
- Blinking – Blinking is very important to the health of the eyes. Sadly with computers and video games, blinking rates go way down.
There has been considerable debate whether his theories were accurate. The established view has greatly discredited his models and practices, but there are numerous personal stories that back up Bates. At the very least the exercises relieve eye strain.
Tibetan Eye Exercise Chart
The Tibetan eye exercises use a graphic chart that is held close to the face, and then followed with the eyes in a prescribed manner. Apparently it was designed for monks that spent many hours studying sutras and text and needed to relieve eye strain. The exercise is easy to do and takes very little time.
Supplements
Maintaining Eye Health Against Disease dealt with diseases of the eye, and helpful supplements to take. Most of the recommendations also apply to relieving eye strain and strengthening visual acuity.
The three most effective supplements in improving vision are:
- Lutein
- Bilberry
- Vitamin A (preferably fat soluble retinol)
Computers Stress the Eyes
Computers and video games are the greatest sources of stress to the eyes in modern society. Part of the problem is that the eyes stay at a fixed focus for such a long period of time. Blinking rates decrease when staring at a screen, which stresses the eyes.
To combat this, it is necessary to protect the eyes when spending time in front of video display screens.
- Take frequent breaks from the display
- Do palming as described above
- Make a habit of consciously blinking
- Use only high quality display screens
- Take supplements of Vitamin A, Lutein, and Bilberry
With some simple care, the eyes should be healthy throughout life.
References
The Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses, William Bates, Holt Paperbacks, 1981
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