Poets and troubadours throughout time have written and sung that “the eyes are the window to the soul.” But it might be more accurate to say that the eyes are a window to the brain. In fact, your eyes are an outgrowth of and literally a part of your brain (some people find this a little creepy). Like the rest of the brain, our eyes age and begin to lose some of their function as we get older. More than 90% of adults over 50 years old wear glasses. There are, however, ways to reverse this decline so you may be able to stop wearing glasses. Here are four easy and scientifically proven steps that I have taken to improve my eyesight so that I no longer need to wear prescription eye glasses or contact lenses. Please be aware that these steps are designed to correct normal age-related vision problems. Also, this post relates to my own personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. See your opthalmologist or optometrist for an eye exam to check for more serious conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts or astigmatism before taking any of the steps listed.
1. Diet
Since the eyes are part of your brain, it would make sense that you should nourish them the same way that you do your brain. In my post How to Maintain Brain Health for Seniors: 4 Science-Based Tools, I describe how diet and supplements are necessary to maintain brain health. These recommendations also apply to maintaining eye health. The Mediterranean and Okinawan diets, when combined with 2 or 3 servings of fish per week, have been scientifically
proven to promote brain health. They also supply many of the nutrients necessary for good eye health, but there are specific recommendations as well.
Unlike your brain, which is highly protected by the cranium, your eyes are exposed to the environment and can get damaged in a process called oxidative stress. In addition, the cells in your eyes use more energy than any other cell in your body, which also increases oxidative stress. For this reason, anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals such as Vitamins B, C and E, zinc and copper and omega-3 fatty acids are necessary to reduce the oxidative stress.
A very recent study (June 2, 2022) by the National Eye Institute called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS2) found that supplementation with the following reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration by 25%:
| Vitamin C: 450 mg | Copper: 1.6 mg | Omega-3 Fatty Acid |
| Vitamin E: 400 mg | Lutein: 10 mg | EPA: 650 mg |
| Zinc: 70 mg | Zeaxanthin: 2 mg | DHA: 350 mg |
While this may seem like a lot of pills to take, Bausch and Lomb makes a multivitamin that contains all of the vitamins and minerals in one pill called AREDS2. A two month’s supply is available at Amazon for $32.76. And you can take the EPA and DHA in another pill made by Nordic Naturals called Ultimate Omega. A two month’s supply from Amazon is $23.76.
I view these supplements as insurance for when I don’t always eat as healthily as I should. And the dosages from the AREDS2 study are much higher than the Recommended Daily Allowances, so it is very difficult to get the required nutrients from diet alone. Plus, anti-oxidants are also important in fighting arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and certain cancers. Omega-3’s have been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce the likelihood of heart attack and stroke, and fight depression and anxiety.
2. Exercise
While general areobic exercise is good for your eyes because it increases blood flow, there are specific exercises designed to improve eye health. The ciliary muscles contract the lenses in your eyes when looking at close-up objects and flatten the lenses when looking far away. This process is called accomodation and, like any muscle in the body, the ciliary muscles need to be exercised to perform properly. One way to do this is by doing smooth pursuit exercises where you track a
moving object with your eyes. This can be done by tracking a slowly moving object such as a pen or a moving ball on a computer screen (see videos here). Another way to to do this is to watch a sporting event such as hockey or tennis. Try to follow the puck or ball without moving your head, only your eyes. Playing a sport is probably even better because you are exercising both your eyes and your body.
Just as important as exercising your eye muscles is relaxing them. We are all guilty of spending too much time looking at close-up objects such as a book, phone or computer screen. The ciliary muscles stay contracted for long periods of time, which can cause eye strain. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes looking at a screen, you should stop and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. In addition, studies have shown that spending 2 hours per day looking at panoramic or horizon view can reduce the risk of myopia.
3. Red Light Therapy
In a very recent study conducted by the University College of London led by world-renowned ophthalmology researcher Dr. Glen Jeffery, it was shown that shining a red light (wavelength of 670 nanometers) into your eyes for just three minutes once per week can improve age-related macular degeneration and vision impairment caused by diabetes by between 17 and 20% in adults over 40 years old. The red light stimulates mitochondria cells, which are often referred to as the “energy factories of the body.” Mitochondria make a molecule called ATP, which carries energy to all living cells. The eyes happen to be our body’s most energy-intensive organ and use the most ATP. For this reason, the eyes age faster than other organs and begin to degenerate at around 40 years of age. In fact, this study found that there was no improvement in from the red light therapy for subjects under 40.
Dr. Jeffery likened the red light therapy to re-charging a battery. It could be done while drinking your morning coffee or as part of your morning routine. It is safe (as long as the light is not so intense that it can damage your eyes), easy to use and affordable. It can, as Dr. Jeffery states in US News and World Report, “transform eye care and vision around the world.”
I decided to see for myself (pun intended) if red light therapy worked. I purchased an LED light from Red Light Man (mostly because I liked the name of the company), but there are several less expensive options available on Amazon or elsewhere. Here is my very un-scientific report on my experiment:
1. I began by testing my baseline vision before starting the red light therapy. Using a mini-Snellen chart, I was able to correctly read 68 letters out of a possible score of 90, or 75.5%. I tested each eye separately and then tested both together.
2. The next day, at 9:00 in the morning, I shined the red light in my eyes from a distance of approx. 3 feet for 3 minutes. Much of the information and protocols were taken from the Huberman Lab podcast, episode #24. According to Dr.
Huberman, the light should not be so bright that it causes you to squint or turn away. If you follow this recommendation, this protocol should be safe, but please be cautious! If the light is at all uncomfortable, move it farther away to avoid possible permanent eye damage.
3. At 1:00 in the afternoon (four hours after red light exposure), I re-tested my vision. I was able to read 78 out of 90 letters (86.7%). This represented an 11.1% improvement in my overall vision.
4. I continued this procedure for two more weeks. Interestingly, my vision was worse after the second week than after the first (74 total letters read, or 82.2%), but still better than it was before I started. After the third week, I was able to read 82 out of 90 letters (91.1%). This represented a 15.5% improvement, which was about the average improvement of the subjects in Dr. Jeffery’s study.
So, although this is purely anecdotal evidence, the red light therapy worked for me. I am currently experimenting with changing some of the parameters of the protocols, such as reducing the time of each exposure to two minutes and increasing the time between exposures. I would like to find the minimum amount of red light needed to produce the desired effect. I am also going to try to shine the light only in my right eye because it is weaker than my left but showed a larger improvement in my experiment. If you decide to try this protocol for yourself, try to vary your exposure for the optimal effect. Everyone’s results will vary.
4. Vuity Eye Drops
I recently tried Vuity eye drops, which are available by prescription from your opthamologist or optometrist. As we age, the lens of our eyes lose some of its elasticity, making it more difficult to focus on near objects (called presbyopia). Vuity causes the muscles in your eyes to contract, making your pupils smaller so you can focus better on near-field objects such as a book, phone or computer screeen. You put one drop in each eye, preferably during the day since constricted pupils can affect night vision. They take effect after 15 minutes and last for six hours. I experienced some minor side effects – red eyes, a slight headache and eye pain when I first put in the drops, but they didn’t last long. A more serious side effect is the possibility of a detached retina, so it is important to get regular eye exams to monitor for this.
Although I didn’t do any quantitative testing to check the effectiveness of how well Vuity worked for me, I was able to read and write without my glasses after using the eye drops
(again this is purely anecdotal evidence). My vision wasn’t quite as good as it was with my glasses, but the convenience of not having to wear glasses or contacts was appealing. What is not as appealing is the cost: 2.5 ml (less than one month’s supply) cost $71 and was not covered by my health insurance. I might use Vuity occasionally when I don’t want to wear reading glasses, but I the cost makes it prohibitive for me to use it on a daily basis.
Conclusion
In doing research for this post, I came across the term “visual obesity.” Poor lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise, poor diet and spending most of the time indoors have led to an epidemic of obesity. Similarly, poor lifestyle choices such as not spending enough time outdoors, a diet lacking the nutrients necessary to to maintain eye health and spending too much time looking at a phone or computer screen is causing an epidemic of vision problems, especially myopia (nearsightedness). According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 40% of children in the U.S. have myopia, compared to 20% just three decades ago. By 2050, the number is projected to be 50%. Older adults who generally spent more time outdoors than today’s youth and didn’t grow up with smart phones are not as likely to be part of this epidemic. But they are more susceptible to age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration.
While the prevalence of blindness in older adults is low (0.1% in those 55-64 years old and 3.0 % in those 85 and older), we all suffer some visual impairment as we age. However, there are things that you can do to slow or reverse the decline. I need to stress again that this is only my own personal experience, but I have tried all of the recommendations in this post and my eyesight has improved. Try them and see (hopefully more clearly) for yourself!