Ways to Help Eyesight Get Better

Good eyesight is an important aspect of health. Poor eyesight can affect the quality of life, and in children it may affect their academic performance and behavior. Improper care, heredity or poor nutrition can affect the health of the eyes. Eyes may also develop cataracts, glaucoma, dry eyes and age-related macular degeneration, all of which can compromise vision. However, there are ways to improve poor eyesight or to maintain good eyesight:

Nutrition

• Nutrition can affect eyesight. Vitamin A is crucial for vision, according to Mayo clinic. Deficiency in vitamin A can lead to night blindness and prolonged deficiency can cause dry eyes and a build up of keratin debris in the conjunctiva, all which can affect eyesight. Enjoy foods rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, spinach, sweet potato, kale, collard greens, bell peppers, calf liver, milk and eggs. People should eat fruits rich in antioxidants such as blueberries and bilberry jam to protect the eye from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older people, according to Reader's Digest.

Eye Exercises

• A number of eye exercises have been used to improve eyesight. Proponents of eye exercises report improvement in eyesight with consistent use. For instance, palming is frequently used to relax the eyes. In this exercise, rub your palms together to warm them and then placed them over your closed eyes for a few minutes. This technique helps to relax the eye muscles and ease eyestrain. Other eye exercises include training the eyes to focus by tracing an imaginary figure eight or relaxing the eyes by massaging areas around the eyes to promote circulation to the eyes. Whether these eye exercises actually improve eyesight is not conclusive.

Physical Exercise

• Can physical exercise improve eyesight while keeping the body in shape? According to Reader's Digest, there is some scientific evidence that physical exercise can actually prevent glaucoma, a condition where the intraocular pressure can build up and cause blindness. Brisk walking four times a week for 40 minutes may help to reduce intraocular pressure. In general, physical exercise on a regular basis can improve blood circulation, which helps to deliver nutrients to the eyes to help them function properly.

Changing Bad Habits

• Certain habits can compromise eye health. Using the computer for prolonged periods of time can affect eyesight. To prevent eyestrain with constantly looking at a computer screen, the American Optometric Association suggests the 20/20 rule -- look up for 20 seconds for every 20 minutes spent on the computer.

  Other lifestyle changes include not smoking, because smoking increases risks of eye-related health problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration and dry eyes.