If you wear glasses or contact lenses, or even if you have had LASIK, there are always ways to strengthen your cornea and eyes. Consider them best practices to keep your vision sharp and your eyes healthy.
Some of these tips may be familiar to you and others will be brand new. If you are struggling with dry eyes, focus issues or just want to learn how to maintain your vision for a lifetime, here are several tips to strengthen your cornea and eyes.
Some Old Fashioned Ways
Remember when mom used to make you eat all your vegetables and give you fruit for dessert? Well, just as with other things in life, mom was right again. It just so happens that many of those foods we disliked as children contain nutrients to strengthen your cornea and eyes.
1. Eat Colourful Veggies
The more colourful they are, the better they are at strengthening and protecting your vision.
Orange peppers are low fat and contain valuable amounts of Vitamin E. They contain nutrients, like Lutein and Zeaxanthin, that reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration and they have more Vitamin C than an orange. And of course carrots are great too.
2. Look For Leafy Green Veggies
The greener the veggie, the better for your eyes. Try broccoli, dark leafy lettuces, spinach, brussel sprouts and kale. They are excellent sources of antioxidants, so find ways to include them in your diet.
Then there’s green beans, turnip greens, collard greens, and peas, which are all green, and all help prevent age-related vision loss.
3. Keep an Eye Out for Brightly Colored Fruit
Head to your local farmer’s market or grocery and hit the fresh fruit aisle. Bring home strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries with ample amounts of Vitamin C and E. Pile your cart high with oranges and grapefruit.
Bottom line is that most any bright colourful natural fruit or vegetable will be full of benefits to strengthen your eyes and protect you from cataracts and macular degeneration in later life.
Exercises And Tips For Today’s Lifestyle
Our lives and work revolve around computers, laptops and handheld devices. Staring at them for any length of time puts a strain on our eyes and can make them abnormally dry. It’s important to keep eyes lubricated for clear sharp vision.
4. Take Breaks
The longer you stare at a computer screen, you strain your eyes and their muscles.
Use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes look 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds. Make this part of your daily routine to relax eye muscles and stay in focus.
5. Don’t Forget To Blink
Seems silly, but many of us don’t blink enough. Force yourself to concentrate on blinking. Blink for three to four seconds for two minutes to lubricate your eyes and cleanse them to improve focus.
6. Try The Hitchhiker Exercise
Be careful with this one. You don’t want your coworkers or boss to think you are goofing off. Pretend you are a hitchhiker and stretch out your arm as far away as you can. Focus on your thumb with both eyes and slowly move your thumb to about 3 inches from your face and slowly back out again. Repeat this twice.
7. The Water Bottle Exercise
Focus on something like a water bottle on your desk. Then focus on another object at least 20 feet away for a few seconds, then back to the water bottle. This will relax your fatigued eye muscles and strengthen your cornea.
Remember to use some of these eye strengthening tips and exercises for strong eyes now and in the future.
If you have issues with dry fatigued eyes or simply want more information, contact the professionals at
South Texas Eye Institute for an evaluation.
