Farsightedness & Nearsightedness

Hyperopia

Farsightedness is the inability to see objects up close, while the ability to see far away is unaffected. It is also known as hyperopia, and most common symptoms include:

• Difficulty seeing and working up close
• Blurred vision
• Eyestrain
• Headaches
• Inability to read for a long period of time

 Nearsightedness is, of course, the opposite. But both are caused by similar deficiencies in the eye muscles.

What Causes Farsightedness & Nearsightedness?

Farsightedness and nearsightedness occur because light rays containing visual images focus behind or in front of the retina instead of on it, making it difficulty to see up close or far away (respectively). Often this is caused when the eyes become shorter than normal and the cornea flattens out, the result of insufficient muscle tone in the ciliary muscles that control the lenses of the eyes.

Treatments for Farsightedness Traditional Treatment and Their Risks

Both corrective prescription lenses and surgery are used to correct farsightedness. Corrective lenses (glasses and contact lenses) may cause:

• Inflammation of the cornea, a condition known as microbial keratitis
• Decreased sensitivity of the eye muscles (which causes the condition to worsen)
• Increased sensitivity to artificial light
• Loss of depth perception

 Surgical procedures can correct nearsightedness and farsightedness. Lasik and photorefractive keratomy (PRK) are the leading procedures, but may have some side effects, including:

• Halos around lights
• Loss of detail
• Chronic dry eye due to a diminished capacity to produce tears
• Retinal tears and detachment
• Damage to the optic nerve
• Holes in the macula, leading to macular degeneration

Alternative Therapies

There are several schools of natural vision restoration, most of which focus on eye muscle exercises. Since nearsightedness and farsightedness are primarily muscular problems, these alternative therapies can, indeed, be effective treatments. The drawback is that most of them take some time to start working.

Dietary measures can help improve eyesight, including a diet rich in antioxidants and minerals:

• Red, orange, and purple bell peppers
• Carrots
• Celery
• Dark­green leafy vegetables such as chard, kale, collard, spinach, and green leaf lettuces
• Parsley, tomatoes, and yellow squash
• Purple berries, purple and red grapes, plums, cherries, mangos, melons, and citrus fruits.
• Unsweetened cacoa, mixed with raw honey or agave syrup
• Organic egg yolks for their high carotenoid content

Nutritional supplementation includes vitamin A, vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta­carotene, lutein, flavonoids, N­acetyl­cysteine (NAC), riboflavin, taurine, selenium, zeaxthanin, and zinc.