19 replies to this topic

[missminni]

I suffer from severe Presbyopia. I've been wearing contacts since I was in
my mid 30's and consequently I can't see without them. I've considered Lasik, but they really are not at the
point where they can correct my vision totally, and I've heard once you have Lasik, they can't do it again,
so I have never pursued it.
Since starting Resveratrol about a month ago, I notice that in general, my muscles are more responisve to
exercise than they used to be and I was thinking that since Presbyopia is the result of weakened eye muscle,
that exercise might be able to improve my vision. Does anyone here have experience with this?

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Presbyopia
Presbyopia (Greek word "presbys" (πρέσβυς), meaning "old person") describes the condition where the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects with age. The exact mechanisms of presbyopia are not known with certainty, however, the research evidence most strongly supports a loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens, although changes in the lens's curvature from continual growth and loss of power of the ciliary muscles (the muscles that bend and straighten the lens) have also been postulated as its cause.

Similar to grey hair and wrinkles, presbyopia is not a disease but a condition associated with aging. The first symptoms (described below) are usually first noticed between the ages of 40-50. It is an interesting fact that the ability to focus on near objects declines throughout life, from an accommodation of about 20 dioptres (ability to focus at 50 mm away) in a child to 10 dioptres at 25 (100 mm) and leveling off at 0.5 to 1 dioptre at age 60 (ability to focus down to 1-2 meters only).

[sablystone]

As an optometrist, I deal with patients struggling with this daily. We think loss of near focus is due to loss of lens flexibility in the eye and/or loss of ciliary muscle function (muscle that must constrict to allow near focus).

It is possible that patients that have a convergence issue (an eye or eyes not able to translate directionally inward with closer and closer reading distances) can improve near reading performance with exercises. As and example, looking at letters on a pencil as it is drawn closer and closer to the face. This is repeated over and over, trying to keep the figure on the pencil singular until it doubles. The large of majority of presbyopic patients would not fall into this category.

Physiologically, as we age, our lens in our eye becomes more opaque, i.e. cataract. This sclerosis of the lens, usually in seniors, allows the eye to obtain a closer near point of focus than the patient had perhaps in earlier years. The degree of improvement is usually small though, and most patients still have to wear reading type glasses for near detail.

A patient that is nearsighted just enough (can't see clearly far away), can read comfortably close without glasses most their life.

[missminni]

As an optometrist, I deal with patients struggling with this daily. We think loss of near focus is due to loss of lens flexibility in the eye and/or loss of ciliary muscle function (muscle that must constrict to allow near focus).

It is possible that patients that have a convergence issue (an eye or eyes not able to translate directionally inward with closer and closer reading distances) can improve near reading performance with exercises. As and example, looking at letters on a pencil as it is drawn closer and closer to the face. This is repeated over and over, trying to keep the figure on the pencil singular until it doubles. The large of majority of presbyopic patients would not fall into this category.

Physiologically, as we age, our lens in our eye becomes more opaque, i.e. cataract. This sclerosis of the lens, usually in seniors, allows the eye to obtain a closer near point of focus than the patient had perhaps in earlier years. The degree of improvement is usually small though, and most patients still have to wear reading type glasses for near detail.

A patient that is nearsighted just enough (can't see clearly far away), can read comfortably close without glasses most their life.

Thanks for your response. I can't see close or far. It's all a blur. I've been wearing contacts for 30 years...all the time.
my perscription is +450 in the right eye and +650 in the left. My left eye started bothering me a few days ago so
I have been going without that contact eversince, to let it heal. It was very red and irritated.
Since then, I've been using glasses to read, although if I squint I can read without them (with the +450 contact in my right eye).
I think that by going without the lens in my left eye, I can eventually get it to work a bit...like exercise. Is there any
basis to my belief? I was going to alternate eyes and see if there was any improvement.
I know they say as you age, the muscle deteriorates, but since taking Resveratrol, I find it directly effects my muscle
strength and was wondering if this might not extend to the eye muscle as well.

[MP11]

As an optometrist

This is a question for sablystone. It's slightly off topic but I've always wondered and it's quick. Is there a term or type of eye where a person can make everything progressively out of focus and then bring everything back into focus again almost as in contracting a muscle. I've been able to do this for years and always wondered if it's normal or what may cause it. Thanks.

[missminni]

A friend of mine whose sister and a few of her friends had lasik surgery a few years ago,
are all back to needing glasses.
Is this common? For people who have successful lasik surgery to end up needing
to wear glasses again a few years later?

ETA~Another question for sablystone:
Are you familiar with the glasses that have the pinholes in them.
I bought a pair like 20 years ago in an attempt to improve my eyesight, but
never really used them.
I just pulled them out, and when I look through them wi†h my contact-less eye, I can see.
I kind of understand the theory that by letting in less visual "noise" it allows the eye to
focus (is this the case?) which I also find I can do when I squint. Could you please explain why this
happens and if wearing these pinhole glasses can actually improve vision. TIA

Edited by missminni, 11 December 2007 - 01:34 PM.

[krillin]

ETA~Another question for sablystone:
Are you familiar with the glasses that have the pinholes in them.
I bought a pair like 20 years ago in an attempt to improve my eyesight, but
never really used them.
I just pulled them out, and when I look through them wi†h my contact-less eye, I can see.
I kind of understand the theory that by letting in less visual "noise" it allows the eye to
focus (is this the case?) which I also find I can do when I squint. Could you please explain why this
happens and if wearing these pinhole glasses can actually improve vision. TIA

The small aperture increases your depth of field.

Edited by krillin, 14 December 2007 - 12:46 AM.

[missminni]

ETA~Another question for sablystone:
Are you familiar with the glasses that have the pinholes in them.
I bought a pair like 20 years ago in an attempt to improve my eyesight, but
never really used them.
I just pulled them out, and when I look through them wi†h my contact-less eye, I can see.
I kind of understand the theory that by letting in less visual "noise" it allows the eye to
focus (is this the case?) which I also find I can do when I squint. Could you please explain why this
happens and if wearing these pinhole glasses can actually improve vision. TIA[/font][/size]

The small aperture increases your depth of field.

Right, like a camera lens does.
I wonder if that has any therapeutic effect.

[health_nutty]

I too have considered eye exercise to correct my eye problem. My problem is I see double for objects that are sufficiently far away due to ocular muscle imbalance. The inner muscles of my eye are stronger than the outer muscles. This seems like the ideal case for eye exercises. However I don't know anyone who has successfully corrected or improved their vision problems with eye exercises which makes me a bit skeptical (but I'm also not sure I know anyone who tried either).

I'm hesitant to devote time to something unless I believed it had a reasonable chance it would work. Anyone have any good recommendations for this condition?

[missminni]

I too have considered eye exercise to correct my eye problem. My problem is I see double for objects that are sufficiently far away due to ocular muscle imbalance. The inner muscles of my eye are stronger than the outer muscles. This seems like the ideal case for eye exercises. However I don't know anyone who has successfully corrected or improved their vision problems with eye exercises which makes me a bit skeptical (but I'm also not sure I know anyone who tried either).

I'm hesitant to devote time to something unless I believed it had a reasonable chance it would work. Anyone have any good recommendations for this condition?

I actually got some exercises from this natural eye care website that were interesting, although I haven't tried them yet.
I thought since taking Resveratrol it might help to strengthen the muscle along with the exercises.
if you go here and request it they will email it to you for free

[quarter]

And for all of you folks who's got a perfect vision at the moment, here's a big tip for ya:

When you work with a pc, read a book, or when you are doing anything else that requires you to stare at it for a long time, especially close up, you need look around the room, look into the distance now and again. If you do that, your eyesight will NOT get worse. Otherwise, it WILL - it's only normal, only common sense. It took me a great amount of time to learn and understand all this (because I wanted to understand more), but now that I know this, I'll never let my eyesight deteriorate ever again. As soon as it deteriorating (now probably not earlier than when I'm well over 40 - I hope time won't go too quickly!!), I know *exactly* what to do.

And if you do start noticing your eyesight worsening, then you can start doing more exercises - move your eyes up, down, left, right, look onto your nose etc - do this for a couple of mins once every hour or so, then close your eyes and relax. If you put your hands over your face, so that your eyes are right in the middle of your palms, with no light getting through, and stay like this for a minimum of 3 mins, then your eyes will relax and you'll see a huge improvement for a moment - every day you'll notice a slight improvement in your vision, right until the moment when you fully restore it.

Later, Imminstists,

Andrei

My yoga instructor spends quite a bit of time doing eye exercises like this during classes - she calls it eye yoga.

[quarter]

quarter, you can tell your yoga instructor that if one has a perfect vision, there's no real need to spend a lot of time on it, ha! It's not about how many or for how long to do them, other things matter more here that one needs to fully understand - mind work, eye muscle relaxation etc. Unless you do it for your own enjoyment, of course.

Just looking around the room every 30 minutes, and blinking more often when working with a PC is enough for most people to retain good vision, right until they're in their 40's.

It's real simple to keep our eyes healthy, and yet most people wear vision aid simply because their ophthalmologist told them so, which is what you get when money is king for most in our "modern" society.

Good to know. I spend quite a bit of time in front of a computer screen at the moment and worry (not a great deal) about the effects on my eyesight.

Yeah, I have never had any problems with my eyesight, and I passed the few eye tests that I did in school and the reading a number plate from distance before my driving test, but I have never been to an optician. I have always been a little suspicious of going to see a specialist who's business is based around their judgment of whether you require a specific treatment which of course you then have to pay them for. I would like to believe that most professionals would be ethical but I can never be 100% sure.

[REGIMEN]

http://www.tcmdiscov...8828162532.html
"Health Care Of The Eyes With Self-tuina" ---- acupressure points to do each day.

The eyes in Traditional Chinese Medicine are the facial feature and sensory organ directly connected to the Liver Meridian.
If you're interested then consider looking through the links in my profile on TCM for tips on dietary changes and how to find a good practitioner of acupuncture and TCM herbalism.

[REGIMEN]

http://www.tcmdiscov...8828162532.html
"Health Care Of The Eyes With Self-tuina" ---- acupressure points to do each day.

The eyes in Traditional Chinese Medicine are the facial feature and sensory organ directly connected to the Liver Meridian.
If you're interested then consider looking through the links in my profile on TCM for tips on dietary changes and how to find a good practitioner of acupuncture and TCM herbalism.

Here are the four acupressure points mentioned in the article above:

BL 2 : http://acuxo.com/mer...eridian=Bladder
BL 1 : http://acuxo.com/mer...eridian=Bladder
ST 1 : http://acuxo.com/mer...eridian=Stomach
Taiyang : http://www.tcmadviso...0791093945.html

The term "cun" is a measurement specific to each person and is merely the width of one of their central fingers (index, middle, or ring finger; all are generally the same on any one person).

For further clarification of point locations go to the following link and use the "Acumapper".
http://www.rootdown....intMapPage.aspx
BL 2 and BL 1 are listed as UB 2 and UB 1, respectively. (Bladder as opposed to Urinary Bladder)

Edited by REGIMEN, 11 November 2008 - 06:22 AM.

[Mike Coza]

If you want to improve your eyesight naturally, you should know first the eye exercises that can strengthen the muscle of your eyes & reduces eyestrain, eye exercises such as Call The Ball, Follow Your Thumb, Palming, Bead And String, Look Away. Healthy diet is very important too, eat foods like Carrot, Eggs, Milk, Apricots, Berries, Black Currants, Cold-water Fish, Collard Green, Grapefruits, Grapes, Lemons, Plums, Spinach, Fish Oil, Raw Garlic(fresh). If you want to learn more about this natural vision correction visit at http://bit.ly/HowGetRidOfYourGlasses

[Luminosity]

What's with the tiny small print? I could contribute to the debate but I'm not sure which side you're on.

[dz93]

Does anyone have an actual working link to a free source that has very great eye exercises. I have a nearsighted astigmatism. One eye is -4.5 and the other is -2.75. So my eye sight is pretty bad. I wear contact lenses all day everyday for right now because I have to I'm practically blind when I have them out and I have to sit uncomfortably close to the computer to see without them.

My other question is can I do these eye exercises with my contacts in throughout the day and still notice improvements or will they need to be out? I don't want to be dependent on crutches for the eyes in case I was ever in a situation where I lost or can't afford them anymore. I've worn them since I was in 5th grade and I'm graduated now so enough is enough. I want my vision back.

EDIT:

http://www.medicalfo...-exercises.html

Found what I was looking for. Just posting it here for anyone else with the same problem.

Edited by dz93, 16 September 2012 - 06:46 AM.

[Danail Bulgaria]

by the way, the link, provided from Andrei seems to be no longer valid.
http://cureyoureyes....ttingworse.html
When I go to the link, I receive message, that the domain http://cureyoureyes.com/ is availabale for being bought.