Do you know anyone that has “bad eyesight?” Perhaps a better question, and one that is easier to answer, is how many people do you know with 20/20 vision? Do you know anyone who does not wear glasses, contacts, or have eye surgery? Do you know anyone who does?
It’s unusual to have 20/20 eyesight, in fact, according to the University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics, only about 35% of adults report having 20/20 vision! And why? The answer varies from person to person. Some people don’t get enough Vitamin A in their diet, others are born with debilitating issues in their eyes, and even things like concussions can impair vision.
Many people with less than stellar eyesight will resort to the best quality glasses or contacts, while some will go as far as getting LASIK surgery on their eyes to see better.
In addition to poor eyesight, some people can’t distinguish between certain colors, have limited vision at night, or suffer from itching, burning, and other chronic sensations. Louise Hay says, in her book “You Can Heal Your Life” about the mind-body connection, “Eye: Represents the capacity to see clearly past, present, future… Fear of really seeing the self.”
Her philosophy is that any dis-ease or ailment can be healed through restructuring your thoughts and facing those that are currently there and disabling you.
Whether or not you are a believer in this philosophy on healing, you can definitely “heal” your eyesight with various modalities, such as the modern LASIK surgeries, wearing glasses, theta wave therapy, diet, and simple training exercises.
LASIK Surgery
If you are wondering “what is LASIK?“, then know that it is an eye surgery that can help you get rid of those glasses and contact lenses. It stands for laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis. LASIK offers quick recovery, minimal discomfort, and often immediate results related to vision issues like myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.
LASIK is really just an umbrella term for the types of refractive surgeries available. The cost of eye surgery differs depending on the procedure, for example, laser eye surgery melbourne cost will be different from the cost of another procedure elsewhere. Depending on if you are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism, there are different variations for each refractive surgery.
In summary, a doctor will use a laser to “cut” and alter your cornea’s curvature so that the light of an image will refract precisely and reduce blurriness. The laser will pulse, removing small bits of the cornea tissue.
The process will vary depending on if you get LASIK, LASEK, PRK, implantable lenses, or bioptic.
Are you sold on this idea yet? If it makes you feel more at ease, the reports and successes are great! And if you know this is not what you want to do, don’t worry, more options don’t require a laser hovering over your eyeballs.
Girl, Put Your Glasses On
Okay, maybe that’s not how the song goes… but can you see where I am going with this? Growing up, there was a strange stereotype and negative connotation around glasses and people who wore glasses. “Four eyes!”
Fortunately, as you age, glasses are seen as trendy, if not practical, and are worn on a much larger scale than children.
And if you are looking for a temporary solution to better eyesight, glasses, especially affordable and cheap glasses (or contacts), can be your best friend! Some people don’t mind the temporary fix, especially if they only have to wear them for driving (nearsighted) or reading (farsighted). It is usually the people who wear them 24/7 that seek a more permanent solution.
Theta Wave Therapy
You have probably heard that meditation is a great tool for people with stress and anxiety, but did you know meditation–or any practice that gets your mind in the theta-zone–can also improve your vision?
Theta waves are the brain waves our brain produces when we are relaxed, a break from the beta and alpha waves we experience when we are active, stressed, excited, etc., but not quite asleep like delta waves. It’s most frequent during childhood, meditation, and right before our brains shut off for the night. The theta state is also where your memories get stored.
Theta wave therapy is another umbrella term, encompassing meditation, sensory deprivation tanks, binaural beats, and more. Depending on what’s available to you (Time? A local floatation tank center? Headphones? Etc.), you can practice one or all of these methods to get your eyesight on its way to superb.
FYI, if you are wondering why the practice of “falling asleep” isn’t enough to improve your vision, consider that healing does require some effort. If it hasn’t worked for you yet, it’s time to explore something new!
When you are in the theta zone, your body and mind are both in total relaxation, offering you the ability to heal using additional techniques like visualization.
Dieting for Your Eyes
A healthy, balanced diet is good for a lot of things, but it’s rare that you find someone who is going on a diet to improve their eye health! It’s pretty incredible that the foods you eat, as well as the supplements you take, can impact you from the deep, emotional level to the surface, physical level.
Dieting also received a negative connotation somewhere along with the same, something people dread the idea of and find it hard to commit to. But in this scenario, in regard to your eyes, it’s not about limiting your intake of calories, sweets, or carbs! This diet is about ensuring you are getting ample amounts of certain vitamins and minerals to support the wellbeing of your eyes.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, eyes rely on vessels to supply oxygen and nutrients, just like your heart’s arteries do. Vitamin A, lutein, zeaxanthin, Omega Fatty Acids, and zinc are all nutrients you need to support your eye health, and although you can get these in supplement form, they are actually readily available in your food!
Vitamin A, which helps the retina turn light to image and keeps your eyes moistened, can be found in orange whole foods: carrots, cantaloupe, and sweet potato just to name a few!
Omega Fatty Acids reduce any risk for eye disease and can be found in fish like salmon or tuna.
Lutein and zeaxanthin protect the macula, which gives us clear vision when healthy. Greens, such as kale and spinach, as well as eggs, are great sources of essential nutrients.
Zinc is equally as important as the rest because it protects your eyes from light damage and can be found in all types of beans, fortified cereals, chicken, turkey, and clams.
As you can see, there are many alternative ways to heal your eyesight other than LASIK if that intimidates you.
Even if you do try a retractive surgery for better eyesight, you can continue to aid that and improve your vision by practicing meditation or using binaural beats, eat a healthy and balanced diet to support your eye health, or simply wear glasses if you are just searching for some temporary relief.
Imagine a life without your eyes. They are one of the most important components to experiencing the world as you do, so it’s important to be considerate of them at all times! You have the ability to make or break eyesight you appreciate.
What steps are you taking to get to where you want to be? By making a lifestyle out of your dedication to eye health, you can take your eyesight from zero to one hundred very quickly, and you can make it last!
