درمان طبیعی بینایی چشم بدون دارو و عمل
Your Eyes Can Be Well Again (with a little practice...)
The eyeball views the world with the help of six tiny muscles which adjust the orb for light and depth perception. According to natural vision therapists, poor eyesight is often the product of chronic tension in these muscles, which then fail to position each sphere properly for viewing. The good news is that you can correct the problem and feel healthier with the help of gentle exercises, the right ergonomics, proper nutrition and changing your viewing habits.
Revised 12/20/09
BY ROSEMARY REGELLO
You may never hear this from an optometrist, but when your 20/20 vision starts to slip away, it often has less to do with age and biology than stress, too much staring and a few other bad habits that can be corrected over time without the need for eyeglasses.
An ophthalmologist named William Bates demonstrated back in the 1920s that most vision problems were linked to muscle tension. Two muscles are wrapped around the back of each eyeball, and four others help orient it for proper focus, just like a camera aperture and lens. If the muscles stiffen from lack of motion, they fail to align your eyes properly. Depending on which of the six fall out of kilter, the end result may be nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or myopia. Bates managed to cure his own faltering eyes from gentle flexing exercises and other vision techniques he developed over time. However, his peers rejected the notion of recovery as an option. Hence, most people have never heard of natural vision care.
Dr. William Bates
According to Bates, the use of corrective lenses sidesteps the underlying muscle tension and therefore only excaserbates the pathology that's diagnosed. And as impractical as it may sound to just toss your eyeglasses to the wayside, the Bates Method has nevertheless proven in many cases to resolve the conditions that cause poor eyesight. The techniques he developed include sunning, palming, edging, centralization and vision calisthenics. See below for instructions, a glossary of eye ailments, and online resources for further exploration.
Robert Michael Kaplan, the author of Seeing Without Glasses, points out that given their small size, the eyes require “a greater blood and nerve supply than most other organ systems in the body.” In fact, about half the cranial nerves that feed the nervous system are dedicated to vision. Each time you yawn, for instance, the blood flowing through your brain gets a big dose of oxygen and relaxes your jaw to improve circulation. Yet many of us lose our natural tendency to yawn because our bodies become inert and lack steady motion of all the muscles wrapped around the bones. Lack of hydration also hampers circulation because your blood gets thicker and struggles to move through the vessels and capillaries in order to reach the nerves, tissue and organs.One notable bad habit that causes vision to fail is staring or fixating your gaze on an object. Locking they eyeballs into place for extended periods causes the six muscles attached to them to tense up and atrophy. This process is similar to the hinges on a door rusting from lack of use, so that opening and closing the door becomes increasingly difficult. Eye fixation also strains the center of the retina, which is responsible for assessing detail, or clarity, such as when reading words on a page.
Lubricating the eyes so they stay fresh and can rotate without friction represents another another key aspect of normal vision where things sometimes go wrong. The average wink rate for humans is 5-7 times per minute, or once every 10 seconds, and distributes liquid from the tear ducts across the surface of the eyes. If they feel dry much of time, it's important count the number of blinks for a 60-second period to ascertain if this automatic process is working properly.
Besides teaching you to blink more, natural vision care encourages your eyes to rove around rather than stayed glued to one position. Bates discovered in his research that the best way to look at objects is to first trace their outer edges, then take in the inner details. This process, called Centralization, allows the brain to build a picture of what you're seeing as your eye muscles constantly move about.
Writing in Better Vision Now, a classic how-to guide first published in 1955, author Clara Hackett said, “Nature, it would seem, meant vision to be a pinpointing process involving great mobility, with the eyes constantly shifting to take in large images in small, clear segments.”
The Usual Suspects in Vision Loss
Nowadays eyestrain stems from constant focussing on computer and video screens (including televisions, Ipods, Blackberries and cell phones). It’s interesting to note that the sockets in the skull, where the eyeballs are lodged, are called orbits. The two balls are intended to function as fine-tuned cams, rolling around in their orbits like ball bearings, always ready to adjust to different viewing angles.
Unfortunately, computer and TV use restrict your vision to a single depth of field (typially at 16 to 20 inches for most computerized equipment), which diminishes your capacity to zoom in and out on any objects outside that range. Without that constant movement, the muscles lose their ability to rotate or squeeze the eyes into position depending on object distance and the amount of light. Over time, the lens of each eye can harden, a condition called Presbyopia. At this point eyesight becomes blurry and glasses are prescribed by your optometrist.
Computer Vision Syndrome is a secondary problem that has prompted opticians to measure for a third range of vision besides reading and distance. Reading glasses are designed for a range of 16 inches away from the eye. However, computer screens generally sit 20 to 22 inches away from the face, making multi-focal lenses or single-vision computer glasses a better choice than traditional readers.
For their part, natural vision therapists suggest installing a glare screen across CRT and flat panel screens to combat the syndrome, as well as taking a break every fifteen minutes when working on a computer. You can also try gently flexing your eye muscles by looking at more distant objects and in other directions, including up and down and side to side, in the course of your work sessions.
Ergonomics can also play a role in eliminating eyestrain. First your screen should be lower than your eye level and not to close to your face (nor too far). and adjusted for optimum focus, brightness and contrast. Second, any glare from windows, indoor lighting or other sources should be eliminated as much as possible. Always work in an adequately lit space and avoid the older types of flourescent bulbs that are dim or flicker. (That flicker is known to cause migraines.) Never allow the computer screen be the your only light source in the room, either. Always diffuse the screen light and TV radiation with another light source. In addition, flat panels produce far less radiation than CRTs and sometimes provide an Energy Saving setting that helps to reduce glare.
In addition to making these changes, adopting a routine of progressive relaxation exercises - focussing on the shoulders, neck, face and scalp - will likely improve blood flow in your head and alleviate eyestrain. (See our article (PDF) on this subject for more info.)
Using Nutrition and Herbs to Bolster Eyesight
Diet modifications can also enhance vision. Scholl tells her patients to avoid heavy, artery-clogging foods like red meat, which can hinder blood flow to the cranial nerves. In addition, the bioflavinoids found in the white rind pulp of citrus fruits are especially beneficial to the eyes, as are berries, avocados, carrots, spinach and other dark leafy greens, nuts, broccoli and pumpkin seeds. Eggs are a good protein source for eye health.
A tincture of bilberries sold in natural food stores has been shown in several studies to improve eyesight. (Huckleberries are a close relative to this plant.) Small berries are a staple in the diets of birds, who are credited with possessing the sharpest vision of all the species on the planet.
Chinese medicine also has remedies for poor eyesight and acute disorders like conjunctivitis. (In fact, children in Chinese schools are taught to stop during the day and give their eye sockets a fingertip massage.) A typical diagnosis for poor vision may identify “liver heat” or “liver chi congestion" as the culprit. Both are caused by stress, inactivity, poor digestion, alcoholism, over-consumption of red meat or drug abuse. If your eyes are chronically sensitive to light, then you probaly suffer from this condition. Deficient kidneys are also thought to hinder vision. Drinking less coffee, alcohol or soda, eating less ice cream, and relieving stress will help to boost kidney strength back to a level essential to overall health. Apples and other high-fiber foods are recommended for maintaining a healthy liver and calming an iritated gall bladder, which can cause headaches and impede vision.
Acupuncture is widely used to relieve soreness and discomfort around the eyes, as well as for eyestrain-related headaches. Tiger Balm rubbed on the temples and forehead can help ease tension. A formula of chrysanthemum, lycium and other herbs may be prescribed to cool the liver heat or treat the chi congestion. An 800-year-old patent remedy called Shiao Yao Wan is commonly prescribed for women with liver chi problems. (You can buy it for a few dollars in Chinese herb stores.) Rehmannia route (shu di huang) and Schizandra fruit (wu wi zi) are recommended for building vision. For acupressure points and a common massage technique used in China, follow the link at the end of this article.
Domestic herbs recommended for healing eyesight include lutein, eyebright, gingko (a natural blood thinner) and grapeseed. To relieve soreness, you can steep eyebright leaves then make a compress out of the cooled liquid. The leaves, however, are not widely available in stores.
Seeing is Believing
It's a shame the Bates method never caught on in western medicine. Most conventional eye doctors were so opposed to his new approach that he was forced to resign from his teaching post at a top New York university. Even today opthamologists persist in their claim that natural vision therapy makes no real impact on eyesight and corrective lenses themselves do no harm to the eyes. (See the N.Y. Times article listed below.)
Today, you can still find Bates specialists in most parts of the industrialized world. Many of these therapists allow their patients to continue wearing glasses, gradually reducing the strength of their prescriptions over time rather than abandoning corrective lenses from the getgo. Recovery takes much longer, however, and lowering the strength of your lenses can itself cause eyestrain.
Curiosity is a primary force driving our eyes to absorb all there is to see in the universe. Perhaps the reason they fail as you get older has less to do with biology and more to do with a loss of interest in the view that's out there. It could be that simply immersing yourself in a more visually stimulating landscape like a garden or other wilderness setting, or a trip to a museum, can jumpstart corrective vision better than any $300 pair of designer spectacles on the market today.
Of course, you'll never know until you try...
Disclaimer: Always check with your doctor or other health care provider before changing your eyeglass prescription or undertaking any new vision regiment or diet modification.
Eye Exercises
Breathing (to relax and oxygenate the blood)
Breathe in and out as you proceed through any exercise and don’t try to force or strain your eyes in the process. The whole point is to get the muscles to relax and flex in an easy, smooth manner. If you should ever feel pain, stop the exercise immediately.
Yawning
To relax your jaw muscles and improve blood flow to the optic nerve and cerebral cortex, train yourself to yawn frequently, maybe even stretching your spine in the process.
Sunning
With your eyelids closed, face the sun and absorb its energy. (Warning: Looking into the sun with your eyes open can cause permanent damage, even during an eclipse!)
As an alternative, stand beneath a tree branch and repeat the same exercise, this time swaying your head so the sunlight flickers in between the leaves.
Palming
Cup your hands over your eyes by setting your palms on your cheekbones and your fingers flat on your forhead. This should block out any light. If your hands are cold, rub them together first. The fingers of one hand should lay across those of the other as it rests on the forehead.
To gently limber up your eye muscles:
Long Swings
Stand straight and gently alternate turning to your left and right, pivoting on one foot in each direction Your arms can hang down loosely or be held outstretched. As you move back and forth, notice the room passing by your eyes in the opposite direction. This exercise can also help with insomnia. If it feels comfortable, repeat the swings with your eyes closed.
Short Swings
Sit down and gently move your head up and down a few inches, allowing your vision to float easily up and down as well. Repeat the exercise, this time moving your head from left to right, then in a circle, as a figure eight on its side. Let your vision float naturally along.
Extraocular Muscle Stretch
The extraocular muscles control the rotation of your eye balls. To limber them up, practice breathing in and out as you keep your head facing forward and gently slide your eyes all the way to your left, then to the right. If possible, only move them during exhalations. Do not strain the muscles. The goal here is to direct the motion in a smooth, relaxed (rather than jumpy and jerking) manner. After three or four repetitions, shift to looking up and down. Then try moving your eyes diagonally, in a circle and in figure eight motions (as if the eight were lying on its side). These last two directions should be performed clockwise for a few repetitions, then counter-clockwise.
Movement and Centralization Exercises:
Counting
This exercise helps stimulate your curiosity, which in turn increases regular eye movements, both vertically and horizonatally. Whenever you walk into a room, casually count the pictures hanging on the wall. Then pick different characteristics, like objects of the same color, and count the numberer of them as well. If you're outdoors, count the number of trees in a park, flowers that are yellow, etc.
Edging
When you look at an object, trace its outline, moving your eyes around each of its edges. Let your eyes scan around the edges of objects in a room or outdoors. This exercise increases the clarity of your perception and works on both small objects (e.g. a vase) to large ones (a building entrance).
Ball Toss
Throw it up and down, from hand to hand, following its movement. Then bounce it against the wall and do the same. From a short distance, watch a ball that children that are playing with.
Dice Throw
Throw a pair of dice on a table and follow the roll. Then throw it across the floor, or use several dice. This will help train your eyes to see across a wider expanse and distance (and keep them in motion while doing so.)
Other Exercises:
At a playground, follow the movements of a ball that children are playing with.
Watch a movie on a big screen at a theatre.
Find places that are rich in visual stimuli. Visit an arboretum, hike on a nature trail, or go to a museum. Treat your eyes like two small children that need to get out and play.
More Tips:
If you have a lazy eye, do half of your vision recovery techniques wearing a pirate’s patch over the strong eye.
Avoid reverting to bad habits by making Bates remedies a conscious objective during every waking hour. If necessary, type up a list of techniques and reminders, then post it at home and work.
Take rest breaks often, especially if you use your eyes for focused activities like computer work.
Tension in all the muscle groups near the eyes (facial, jaw and shoulders) can restrict blood flow, limit oxygenation and impede eyesight, so remember to include those muscles in your daily stretching and relaxing techniques (See our article on progressive relaxation for more on this.)
Aerobic exercise like jogging, jumping jacks, bicycling and brisk walks improves circulation, vitality, eye movement and relaxation. (Ask your doctor first before starting any new exercise routine.)
Reading and Resources
You can usually find a good book or two about the Bates Method at your public library. Better Vision Now, by Clara Hackett (includes a chapter on vision care for children), and 28 Days to Reading Without Glasses, by Lisette Scholl Here are two popular titles. (Scholl is also the author of a book on restoring children's eyesight.) For a meatier discourse on the subject, look for Relearning to See by Thomas Quakenbush. Quakenbush formally directed a natural vision institute in the San Francisco Bay Area. On a more philosphical note, check out The Art of Seeing by Aldous Huxley. Huxley, who wrote the classic Brave New World, used the Bates Method to restore his own failing eyesight.
For more tips on vision care, as well as book recommendations and therapist referrals:
Association of Vision Educators http://www.visioneducators.org/
International Society for the Enhancement of Eyesight
Bates Association for Vision Education
Chinese Vision Care
http://www.eye-exercises-for-good-vision.com/chinese-eye-exercises.html
"Need Reading Glasses?" http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/08/health/the-consumer-need-reading-glasses-welcome-to-middle-age.html?pagewanted=1 --------- N.Y. Times article.
Online Eyeglasses Ordering Guide (explains prescription terms and all size specifications): http://www.goggles4u.com/fit.asp -------- from Goggles4u Eyewear Superstore.
More Prescription Terminology http://www.zennioptical.com/cart/pages.php?pageid=16 -------- from Zenni Optical.
Vision Glossary
Amblyopia (see Lazy Eye)
Astigmastism- A condition in which imperfections in the cornea of the eye cause light to focus imperfectly on the retina, resulting in blurred vision.
Cataracts - Cataracts form when protein in the lens begins to clump together and cloud a small area of the eye, resulting in blurry vision.
Cornea - The clear tissue of the eye that covers the iris and pupil. The cornea focuses incoming light first, directing it towards the lens.
Farsightedness - A condition of the eye in which close-up vision is blurred. Farsightedness, also known as hyperopia, is caused by faulty light refraction in the eye; closer images do not focus clearly on the retina.
Glaucoma - Glaucoma can occur when the natural fluids of the eye are unable to drain properly, causing a build up of intraocular pressure.
Hyperopia - A condition of the eye in which close-up vision is blurred. Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, is caused by faulty light refraction in the eye; closer images do not focus clearly on the retina.
Iris - The colored part of the eye; the iris controls the amount of light that passes through the pupil.
Keratoconus - Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that results in thinning corneal tissue, causing the cornea to lose its natural curvature. This leads impaired vision due to the improper focusing of light rays on the retina.
Lazy Eye (the medical term is amblyopia) has more to do with the brain’s ability to process visual information received from both eyes than a defect in the structure of the problem eye itself. (Learning to flex the muscles around the near useless eye may stimulate it into action if this gentle exercise is started at a young enough age and in combination with an eye patch. --Editor)
Lens - The transparent, double-convex portion of the eye that further focuses light from the cornea onto the retina.
Macular Degeneration - Also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular degeneration is an eye disease that slowly destroys central vision and, if left untreated, can lead to blindness.
Monovision - Monovision is a procedure that corrects one eye for distance vision, while correcting the other eye for near vision. It is typically used to treat patients suffering from presbyopia.
Myopia - A condition of the eye in which distance vision is blurred. Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is caused by faulty light refraction in the eye; distant images do not focus clearly on the retina.
Nearsightedness - A condition of the eye in which distance vision is blurred. Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, is caused by faulty light refraction in the eye; distant images do not focus clearly on the retina.
Occipital Lobe - The section of the brain that converts nerve impulses from the eyes into images.
Optic Nerve - The nerve conduit that leads from the retina to the occipital lobe.
Presbyopia - The natural loss of close-up vision as one gets older. Presbyopia is caused by inflexibility of the eye's lens, a condition that prohibits the eye from focusing properly on objects up-close.
Pink eye (also known as conjunctivitis) is usually a relatively mild eye infection. Pink eye symptoms include pinkness or redness in the eyes, swollen eyelids, itching, and burning. Since pink eye passes quickly, treatment has more to do with prevention than serious medical care.
Pupil - The opening in the iris through which light passes. The irises dilate the pupils in the darkness to admit more light and contract them when it is too bright.
Retina - The back wall of the eyeball; the retina is covered with specialized nerve cells that convert images to electric energy.
-----------------------------------------
Note: This article was originally published on December 10, 2007.
