Somewhere around the age of forty or forty-five, many people experience difficulties in reading or doing other close work ...
noticing a blur or feeling a strain when focused up close.
At this stage, they are often prescribed glasses for reading and other close activities and also told that this is a normal part of the aging process; related to a hardening of the lens.
Although it is true that our eye structure changes somewhat with age, this absolutely doesn't mean that vision cannot be improved at this stage.
Many people enjoy very clear vision at all distances for life, and we might prefer to learn from them, rather than to follow along the path of using stronger and stronger reading lenses or bi-focals.
The natural path to clearer vision at the near point involves increasing vision fitness by improving the dynamic workings of our eyes ...
in other words, "livening them up" a little! We can accomplish this in a variety of ways, depending on the individual challenges, but in all cases, palming should be introduced, to soothe and soften the eyes, using visualizations geared toward relaxing and releasing any mental strain while bathing the eyes in darkness, which is completely restful.
We need to relax the recti muscles which support the eye in its orbit, and then stimulate the oblique muscles so that they can perform their task of lengthening the eyeball slightly so that we can create a near focus.
Blinking, shifting of focus and stimulation with natural sunlight helps to improve circulation, enliven the eyes and relax the mind.
There are some "tricks" to reading and studying in a way that is healthy for our eyes, and unfortunately people are not taught these at a young age, so we may have to "unlearn" more than one bad habit, but the benefits of having healthy seeing and eyes into old age are by far worth the effort.
In Margaret Corbett's wonderful and timeless book "Help Yourself to Better Sight" she has an excellent section on Presbyopia (far-sight) - this is highly recommended reading for anyone wishing to improve and maintain clear sight as they age.
A Few Healthy Reading Tips: 1.
Read early in the day, under natural light ...
conversely, don't readlate at night under unnatural, electric lighting.
2.
Take a break after 30 minutes of reading ...
focus on something far into the distance, breathe deeply, and let any strain flow out of you through your exhalation.
3.
Read strong, black print against a white background ...
avoid books which have grey print on beige paper.
4.
Use pinhole glasses for 20 minutes of reading in the morning.
5.
Try looking at the white spaces as you skim your eyes across a line of print, rather than looking for the letters ...
you won't miss the words; you'll "pick them up" without strain and see them with relaxed vision.
6.
Give yourself a facial/scalp massage once a day to relax the muscles in your face and around your eyes ...
this is very stimulating and refreshing.
7.
Use a "eye splash" refresher ...
half-fill a basin with very warm water while running the cold water slowly into the basin.
Start splashing your eyes as the water gets colder and colder.
Finish with an ice cold splash! 8.
Avoid sugary or fatty foods ...
they are enemies of close vision.
9.
Eat fresh, organic foods and drink lots of water and fresh juice.
Supplement with Bilberry or a Bilberry/Eyebright combination.
10.
Exercise regularly and get outside for some part of each day.