We can take care of visual acuity through exercises that stimulate the brain and eliminate tension from the muscles that control focus.
Over the years, visual acuity is lost. Glasses, contact lenses or surgery are the only remedies for problems such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, astigmatism or presbyopia (or “eyestrain”, which affects near vision), but some simple and natural measures can be taken to improve perception and prevent worsening.
Factors such as tiredness, bad habits, nutritional deficiencies and even mood can influence the quality of vision.
YOU CAN TRAIN THE BRAIN TO SEE BETTER
A recent study by psychiatrists and psychologists at the University of Helsinki have been able to show in a study published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience that people with depression can see worse.
The participation of the brain allows visual gymnastics such as the one developed by ophthalmologist Rui Hiramatsu to improve acuity. Hiramatsu is the author of the book Improve Your Eyesight in 3 Minutes.
Hiramatsu exercises consist of finding pairs of equal patterns (called Gabor patches) for 3-10 minutes each day. These patches contain blurred lines that force the brain to clear them up. Daily practice involves a brain stimulus whose effectiveness has been demonstrated by studies conducted at the University of California and the University of Kansas.
Hiramatsu explains that human vision works like a digital camera: on the one hand there is the lens (the eyes) and on the other the software (the brain) responsible for processing the light that reaches the sensor. The result is the image as we see it.
In this process of creating the image, the brain acts like those artificial intelligences that enhance the image obtained by the mobile phone lens: if it is blurred, it can add information by interpreting the image. What Hiramatsu exercises do with Gabor patches is train this brain capacity.
If you suffer from any vision problem, the eyes capture blurred images that the brain recomposes to make them as clear as possible.
VISUAL EXERCISES ARE GENERALLY BENEFICIAL FOR THE BRAIN
Visual acuity exercises also have positive side effects, as they serve as mental gymnastics that prevents the onset of dementia, strengthen memory and the ability to concentrate.
In addition to Gabor’s patches, Hiratsu proposes another exercise to improve visual acuity: take a printed sheet on one side and try to read what he puts looking at the light on a blank face. You can practice three minutes once a day.
2 EXERCISES TO DO WITH THE EYES AND IMPROVE VISION
Exercises with the eyes are recommended preventively and to treat problems such as eyestrain, slightly blurred vision, sensitivity to bright light and amblyopia or “lazy eye”.
CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE
This exercise is especially effective for people who suffer from presbyopia or who spend a lot of time in front of the computer screen. It is a very simple exercise, since it only consists of looking repeatedly in the distance (more than two meters away) and close alternately.
If you have a window, you just have to look outside and then at an object that is about thirty or forty centimeters from you, such as, for example, your index finger. Repeat the focus change about ten times.
It is advisable to do it every 20 minutes of work in front of the screen and keep the focus on the distant object for 20 seconds.
This exercise causes the ciliary muscle that serves to focus to relax.
APPLY HEAT
The heat over the eyes increases blood flow and consequently the arrival of nutrients, which not only improves eyesight, but also relieves stress and headaches and shoulders.
If you can, apply heat twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. If due to work you have to spend a lot of time in front of the computer screen, you must read many documents, or if your hobby is reading, thermotherapy will go very well.
You can apply heat in three ways, choose the one you like best and best suits your needs.
- Wet a towel lightly with hot water and place it on the eyelids. Remove when it has cooled. Of course, it doesn’t have to be so hot that you find it annoying. You have to experience a pleasant feeling.
- Rub your hands against each other about ten times. By doing so, you will warm your palms. When you notice warm hands, cuff them and put them over closed eyes, exerting a slight pressure. Keep them in that position for thirty to sixty seconds.
- You can buy a mask designed to apply heat to the eyes. There are disposable, which heat up instantly when removing the protective band, and also reusable, which are heated in the microwave and can be used more than once.