Many people don't give age related loss of vision any thought. They expect that their vision will get weaker as they move from middle age into their senior years. And, for most, that is exactly what will happen.
But it isn't necessary for everyone. There are many causes for loss of vision. Some can be stopped by doctors, some are inevitable and can't be stopped. The most common cause for weakened vision is preventable. That's why you are reading this.
People need to use glasses as they get older for the same reason they can't lift weights as heavy in their senior years as they did when they were younger. Muscle loss. Muscle loss around the eyes is the most common reason for weakened vision as people age.
I will teach you how to strengthen the muscles around your eyes, which will stop your vision from getting worse naturally, and perhaps improve the vision you have. I say that with confidence because I have done it myself.
But here's the thing. Most people who read this won't try the exercises and most who begin the daily exercises will not do the series for long enough to make a difference. This is not a quick fix. Nothing about your vision is. Yet you do want your vision to last for the rest of your life.
You must commit to doing the eye exercises daily or your vision won't improve. It will, like that of most other older people, continue to get worse.
We humans don't have many muscles around our eyes. They tend to get weaker because they don't get the exercise they need as we get older and don't demand as much movement from side to side and up and down as we used to. Like any other muscles, eye muscles atrophy--they shrink--with lack of exercise.
Most people find their vision weakening with age because their eyeballs change shape. Why on earth would that happen? Because the muscles around them get smaller and eyeballs change shape to take up the extra space. Nature abhors a vacuum and eyeballs are no different. They take up space added when muscles beside them shrink. Misshapen eyeballs mean distorted vision.
Now that you understand the problem you can proceed with the solution. This has been a long read and the rest will make it longer. If you want, bookmark this page somehow so you can return to the exercises that follow.
Working Your Eyes
The procedure begins with what are called pinhole goggles. Note, they must be the goggle variety that wrap around your head a bit, not regular glasses that sit in front of your eyes. The reason why this is important will become obvious later with the exercises.
These are available online, but you might have to begin by searching "sports goggles". These wraparound goggles have hundreds of tiny pinholes arranged around each lens. You don't need the kind made of wire mesh. Just lenses of plastic, full of tiny holes, in frames of plastic. They cost only a few dollars.
When you first get them, try them on and look at something up close, something that would normally be blurred if you looked at it without glasses. It looks clear and sharp, in focus, right? Like magic. That is what you are aiming for when, eventually, you can move around without glasses. You can see clearly and precisely with the goggles on, but without glasses the object is blurred. I tend to look at the hair and skin on the back of my hand each day for confirmation of my overall objective.
The exercises are in two parts. You can do both sitting in an easy chair. The first part involves actual exercises that strengthen the muscles around your eyes. The second part is a matter of wearing the goggles for a while each day. Anywhere from ten minutes to two hours as it suits you. I find it difficult to wear them while working because they don't allow enough light for me to see details. My wife uses them while doing other types of work.
Okay, the eye exercises. For the sake of ease of explanation I will use compass directions to indicate how you should move your eyes. So N will be UP, S will be DOWN, E will be RIGHT and W will be LEFT.
In each case you will move your eyes as far in each direction as you can. Don't move your head or you will miss the point of the exercises. Move your eyes so far the you will feel the muscles get a bit tired after a few tries. That is what you want. Your body will respond by making those muscles stronger, and larger, which is very important.
Here we go:
NSEW
NSEW
NSEW
NSEW
Then change to
NSWE
NSWE
NSWE
NSWE
Following that you will cast your eyes in very wide circles, around the compass points you just used. Turn them one way ten times. Then turn them the opposite way ten times.
Remember, make those eye muscles work, just as a weight lifter would work muscles in a gym. Expect your muscles to get a bit tired. You will feel the fatigue, but it will disappear almost immediately when you stop your exercising.
This is where the difference between pinhole goggles and pinhole glasses comes into play. With the goggles you easily look to the corners of the lenses, whereas with the glasses the corners are all distracting bright areas.
Follow that routine--look to the compass corners then circle your eyes each way--three times. There is no reason you can't do these any number of times each day, if you like. I do them once.
After that you can relax and wear your goggles for as long as you like. Some advise ten minutes per day, others two hours per day. It's up to you how long you wear them each day because you have other activities to do with your life.
Keep in mind, this is not a quick fix and it will not repair any eye damage. This is all about rebuilding the framework around your eyeballs.
It's up to you whether or not you need eye glasses as most people will when they get older. For best effect you will need to incorporate these eye exercises into your daily routines into the indefinite future.
If you have any doubts about these exercises, speak to an optometrist. But, keep in mind that they are in the business of selling glasses and you want to avoid doing that. It is in their best (financial) interests to get you wearing glasses.
Bill Allin is the author of hundreds of articles available free on the internet.
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