Vision is how you see the world. Your
perceptions become your realities, and thus they are the substances with which
you weave the fabrics of your life. If you “rethink” your mind, you change the
way you “see” the world, and accordingly your “realities” change too. No matter
what, your vision holds the key to how you live your life, especially as you
continue to age. Your vision changes with age, especially in the golden years.
Therefore, it is important to have healthy vision at all time.
Your eyes are one of the most important
of your body organs. Without healthy vision, your life in the golden years will
be greatly compromised. Your vision deteriorates as early as in your 30s, but
its decline is slow and gradual. However, as soon as you are approaching your
golden years (65 and above), your vision declines rather
significantly.
Some of the obvious signs and symptoms of
vision deterioration are your difficulty in focusing as well as in seeing
either long or short distances. These common problems include nearsightedness (an
eye condition in which your eyeball is too long, such that light rays fall
short of achieving a point of focus on your retina, which is the sensory
membrane at the back of the eye), farsightedness (also known
as hyperopia, a condition in which you can see distant objects but
have difficulty focusing objects that are up close) and astigmatism (a
condition in which your eyes have an irregular shape, causing light rays
entering your eyes to split into different points of focus, and thus resulting
in blurry vision).
Macular degeneration is another eye
problem that cmay come with age. Macular degeneration affects as many as 30
million Americans aged 65 and above. If you are 65, you have 25 percent of
developing macular degeneration; and your risk increases to 30 percent if you
are over 75. Macular degeneration is a devastating condition because it
may lead to blindness.
The macula is a small central part of the
retina that enables detailed vision. As such, it is critical to correct vision.
Due to various reasons, such as heredity, hypertension, high cholesterol, sun
damage, and smoking, the macula may accelerate its decline, which might have
started even at an early age. Macular degeneration is a slow, progressive
disease that affects both eyes, typically one after the other. Due to its slow
development, macular degeneration may take years to become noticeable. By the
time you notice it, the onset is already well underway. Therefore, prevention
is always better than cure. Vision health is an important component of
self-healing of the eye.
Another change in vision due to aging is
the inability to see in dim light. Vision is possible only when light passes
through the lens to the retina at the back of the eye. Through years of wear and
tear, your lens becomes denser and less sensitive, and thus decreasing the
amount of light getting to the retina. On average, a 60-year-old person needs 3
times more light to read than a young adult. This explains why you may react
more slowly to changes in light. In addition, if you have developed cataract,
which is a cloudy condition of the eye, you may have increasing sensitivity to
glare.
Perception of colors is yet another
change in you golden years. The reason is that your lens tends to yellow slightly;
this may cause you to have problem reading black letters against a blue
background or reading blue letters.
Other vision-related problems
include floaters, which are tiny solidified fluids within the eye,
and dry eyes due to decline in tear-production cells.
Consider the use of eye exercises to help
correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness or presbyopia. Eye exercises are
easy and simple to do and you can even do them anywhere and anytime. A few
exercises each day can really help you improve your vision significantly.
When you “exercise” your eyes, you move
your eye muscles to create up-and-down, side-to-side or circular motion. These
movements “work” the muscles controlling back-and-forth movement of your eye’s
natural lens, to help achieve sight at multiple distances. In addition, eye
exercise can change the basic shape of your cornea, thereby instrumental in
changing the angle of light entering your eyes for better and more correct
focus.
To maintain natural vision health, eat a
healthy diet. Antioxidants and vitamins and minerals are critical to
boosting vision health. You need high doses of beta-carotene, vitamin C,
vitamin E, and zinc. Nutritional therapy is an important component of natural
self-healing and vision health. Beta-carotene facilitates your body to convert
plants into vitamin A, thereby instrumental in boosting normal cell
reproduction in the eye, protecting the eye from free radicals, and enhancing
night vision, Vitamin C is an important immune system booster, and an agent for
making collagen to maintain healthy blood vessels in the eye. Vitamin E is a
potent antioxidant to protect cell membranes. Zinc is a mineral required by
more than 300 enzymes to repair wounds, to optimize vision health, and to
protect the eye from free radicals.
Nutritional therapy also includes
supplements of lutein, Taurine, DHA, and ginkgo biloba. Lutein is a carotenoid
found in vegetables and fruits, such as collard greens, kale, and spinach.
Lutein promotes vision health through its potent antioxidant properties.
Taurine transports nutrients to the eye as well as eliminates toxic
accumulation in the eye; it promotes retinal health and night vision. DHA,
which is an essential Omega-3 fatty acid, enhances the development of the
retina. Ginkgo biloba is an ancient Chinese herb for vision health.
Most vision problems, whether
nearsightedness, farsightedness, or presbyopia, have to do with eye stress and
strain affecting the shape of the eyes, and hence their capability to focus
correctly. Of course, the eyes cannot be relaxed if the body and mind are not.
Therefore, it is important to have a holistic approach to vision self-healing.
If you are in your golden years, it is
important to have a holistic approach to your health and wellness, which is the
wisdom in happy and successful aging. Read my book Your Golden Years and Santa Claus to
find out how to live your life in your golden years asif everything is a miracle. Indeed, life is full of challenges,
and you must learn how to overcome those challenges, especially in
your golden years.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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