I have been busy working on a new look for the website. I spent a lot of time programming to get things working correctly. With a week and a half of long hours, I can feel the my eyesight getting weaker and blurrier. I fell back into one bad habit that I wanted to break. I worked long and hard to get the task done, and I compromised my eyesight to do it. It would have been better if I had looked away every few minutes and focused on something far away. In my haste to get it done, I forgot to take care of my eyes. It’s so easy to fall back into our old routines. I have been exercising my eyes for over a year, but somehow, I didn’t follow the few simple new habits that I was practicing.

Good habits I want when I’m working:

• every ten minutes, I scan the room and trace some patterns
• every half hour, I would close my eyes and massage around the eyes
• every hour, I would take a break and relax my eyes, maybe look out the window

It’s such a simple thing to do, but I didn’t do it. Maybe, I haven’t worked hard enough to form this habit. I’ll try harder to break this bad habit replacing it with this new habit.

Margaret owns a small optical shop where my mother-in-law (MIL) went to have her eyes checked and change the prescription on her glasses. As the optometrist examine my MIL’s eyes, Margaret sat down and chatted with my wife and I. She was glad that we brought my MIL for an eye check, because people tend to dismiss their elderly parent’s complaints of eye soreness, headaches, or unable to see clearly. Her mom had complained about her eyesight many times, and Margaret had her optometrist check her mom’s eyes and the optometrist assured her that everything was fine. Margaret dismissed the complaints as an old age problem that everyone goes through. About three year later, her mom became blind from glaucoma. The pressure in her eyes damaged the optic nerves. Blindness devastated her mother, and she now sits at home with her spirit for living sucked out of her. Holding back her tears, Margaret blamed herself. She was in the eye care business and she neglectfully allowed her mother to go blind. Her lesson to us, “Take care of your eyes; if something doesn’t feel right have it check out and get a second opinion; you don’t know how precious it is until it’s gone.”

The optometrist had problems examining my MIL’s eyes due to the thickening cataracts and referred us to an eye-specialist near by. After an extensive amount of tests, they concluded that she has cataracts and glaucoma. She will need to have her cataracts removed through laser surgery and treat the glaucoma with eye drops. There were some nerve damage from the glaucoma but the drops are suppose to help to reduce the pressure in her eyes. It’s good that the doctor can help her to prevent farther damage, and hopefully improve her eyesight. However, treating the problem is expensive with many hidden and recurring costs.

We tend to notice a disease when it hits home. I didn’t know much about the two diseases, so I did some research to understand them. I believe in taking steps now to prevent major problems and suffering later. Is it possible to prevent cataracts and glaucoma or are we all doomed to pay homage to the laser eye surgery tycoons?

Cataracts Accumulates Debris

Cataracts is the build-up of dead cell debris accumulated in the eyes preventing light from reaching the retina. There are many possible causes such as ultraviolet radiation, diabetes, or poor nutrition. However, Dr. Merrill J. Allen, Dr. Steven M. Beresford, and Dr. Francis A. Young of The American Vision Institute gives a new theory in the article Cataract and Eye Exercises. They theorized that fluid and nutrients enter the eyes, and wastes are removed from the eyes through diffusion. This fluid movement occurs when our eyes move, adjust to light and focus. When we age, the eye muscles weakens and the lens stiffens causing decrease circulation. This decrease in circulation allow the debris to accumulate to form cataracts. They have helped some of their patients dissolve their cataracts through eye exercises. The eye exercises increase circulation needed to remove wastes and over time dissolves the cataracts. These are some of the exercises in the Eye Exercise post.

Glaucoma Can Lead To Blindness

Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve which could result in blindness. The eyes maintain regular pressure by circulating fluids in and out of the eyes. The fluids flow through an area at the base of the iris close to the bridge of the nose called the trabecular meshwork. If the meshwork is block for any reason, it cause increase pressure in the eye. The pressure prevents blood flow to the optic nerves and cause permanent damage if not treated. According to Dr. Merrill J. Allen, Dr. Steven M. Beresford, and Dr. Francis A. Young in the article Glaucoma and Eye Exercises, there are two types of glaucoma one is open angle glaucoma and other is close angle glaucoma. In open angle glaucoma the trabecular meshwork has some blockage which increase the pressure in the eyes. In close angle glaucoma the pupil over-dilates causing the blockage that increase the pressure in the eyes. Both types can cause permanent nerve damage to the eyes.

The doctors suggest an eye exercises they called flashing to stimulate the iris to expand and contract to help flush out any blockage. To do the exercise, sit in front of a bright light with your eyes closed, and switch the light on when you breath in and off when you breath out. They suggest doing this for thirty minutes a day. I suggest covering your eyes with your palms rather than wearing out your light switch.

Circulation Problem

Both cataracts and glaucoma seem to share the same problem, an inability to circulate fluids, nutrients, or wastes into and out of the eyes. This circulation happens through the natural movement and adjustment that our eyes make throughout the day. It needs to move, focus and adjust (to light) in order to maintain eye health. Our modern lifestyle has changed the way we use our eyes. Today we spend most of our time reading, watching TV, and working on the computer which has limited the eyes’ natural movement. If we exercise them everyday we can bring back some of the nature movements the eyes need to maintain health. It’s no guarantee, but learning and doing the eye exercises should improve our vision and prevent problems like cataracts and glaucoma.

The Real Lesson

Many of us do not know and don’t want to learn how to take care of our eyes until it gives us problems. We tend to brush off symptoms as age-related when they do appear. Thanks to Margaret tragic story we quickly had my MIL’s eyes checked rather than postponing the appointment to a more convenient time and possibly forgetting to get her eyes checked. The specialist did find the problem and possibly prevented farther damage to my MIL’s eyes. I’m grateful for the lesson Margaret taught us that day and hopefully others will learn from the lesson so that her mother’s suffering does not go in vain.

The alarm rang and I sleepily opened my eyes. They felt sticky as if something glued them together. I blinked a few times and felt debris shifting under my eyelids. I could see, but through patches of shifting blurs as the debris moved. I rubbed my eyes and tears flowed forcing most of the stickiness out the edges of the eyes. I got up and open my eyes and the blurriness was gone. In the restroom, I pour salt water into the goggle, bent forward, placed it on my eye and blinked thirty times. I lowered the goggle and saw white things floating in the salt water. I repeated for the same eye and switched to clean the other eye. Even though my eyes felt clean after tearing and rubbing, I’m surprise to see how much debris get collected in the water after the wash.

I like to wash my eyes in the morning to help clear the debris from my eyes.

Materials
Eyewash - Materials for eyewash	What you need: 1. Swimming goggles (I use one side) 2. 500ml water container (I use one with a large cap so it’s easier to wash.) 3. 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon 4. salt Make the salt solution: - Fill the water bottle with filtered water. - Put 1/2 tsp salt into the water bottle, screw on the cap, and shake until the salt dissolves.

Instructions
Eyewash - Use goggle to cup eye	Washing your eyes: 1. Fill the goggle with the salt solution. 2. Cup the left eye with the goggle, blink 20-30 times, and dump the water. Repeat once more for the same eye. 3. Repeat step 2 for the right eye.

It’s quick and simple. But, in order to do it regularly, I make it a part of your daily routine.

I do this by putting the goggle and the salt solution next to my toothbrush. After showering which helps to remove the moisturizing cream from my face, I do my eye wash. Then I brush my teeth. By sandwiching the eyewash between the daily routine, it can quickly become a part of my daily routine.

Doing an eye wash is refreshing and a good method for clean out my eyes.

Note and Tips
1. If you put on moisturizing or night cream on your face, wash it off before you wash your eyes. The moisturizer may sting your eyes.
2. Keep the goggles and salt water solution clean. Wash the goggle thoroughly after each use. Wash the solution container at each refill.
3. Check the water in the goggle after each washing, I’m always surprise by how much debris is in the water even though I may not feel it in my eyes. Sometimes a thin layer of oil sits on top of the water in goggle.

When I can’t read or see something clearly, I squint to make it clear. It feels as if I’m using my eyes to grab the image. This normally sharpens the image for a second and then it becomes blurry again. Then, I quint harder to keep it clear. This cycle makes my head feels as if screws are being tightened on my temples and the back of my head. This is definitely not the right way to see something clearly. So, why did I do it every time I want to see something clearly?

Don’t Try

It’s difficult to change because I didn’t know any better. When something is difficult to do, I naturally try harder. But, our eyes doesn’t seem to work on this principle. We can’t flex the eye muscles to see better, and the harder we try the more problem it causes. If we close our eyes, take several deep breaths and relax, when we open them, the image generally looks clearer. It’s easier to see clearly with relaxed eyes than stained eyes. If trying harder doesn’t work, it makes sense not to strain and let the eyes sharpen the image by itself. This goes against my natural instincts to try harder, so I have to constantly remind myself to relax my eyes.

Letting the eyes sharpen an image by itself is easier said than done. Straining to see clearly is a habit, and it’s not easy to untrained. How does it feel not to strain or let the eyes focus naturally? I know how it feels to squint and strain to see clearly. I try many eye exercises and eye massages, but I still strain to see clearly.

Relaxed Eyes

It occurred to me one day, as I was getting ready for bed, that my eyes are most relaxed when I’m asleep. I lay down and sense how the eyes feel when I’m about to sleep. I feel the soothing warm eyelids closing, the calmness of the dark, the tensed eye muscles melting into relaxation and the relaxed eyes sinking slightly inward. I try to remember this relaxed feeling. I want to use this feeling to relax my eyes when I notice that I’m straining them.

Persistence

The challenge is to replace the squinting and straining with this relaxed-eye feeling. I constantly remind myself, “don’t force your eyes to see clearly. It’s OK that it’s blurry; let it sharpen naturally.”

This is the battle I will continue to fight until I’m free of my glasses.

Eye exercises (my nickname for it is – Eyercise) help increase circulation in our eyes, tone our eye muscles, and improve focusing ability. They help us become aware of any discomfort or strain in our eyes so we can change any bad habits when using them. They are great for helping us maintain our eye health and sight for a lifetime.

It’s important to practice the exercises if we want to improve our eyesight. To get started, you may want to learn a few exercises and practice them regularly. Once you’re used to doing them, then learn more exercises. You may want to read the articles in the Eyesight category for tips and advices.

These are the exercises that I normally do.

Physical Eyercise

Eyercise – Side to Side
Eyercise - Move eyes to strengthen eye muscles	1. Keep your head still 2. Look up and down. Each up and down count as one repetition. Do it 10 times. 3. Look left and right, 10 times 4. Look diagonally up left and diagonally down right, 10 times 5. Look diagonally up right and diagonally down left, 10 times
Notes and Tips: this is not a race; it’s about stretching and strengthening the eye muscles, so relax and do it slowly.

Eyercise – Around the world
Eyercise - Roll eyes to strengthen eye muscles	1. Keep your head still 2. Look up and slowly roll your eyes clockwise, do it 5 or 10 times 3. Change direction (counter-clockwise), do it 5 or 10 times
Notes and Tips: Don’t over-strain your eyes, look as far to the edges as you comfortably can without feeling like you are straining the eyes. If you feel dizzy, stop and look at something far away. You may want to try again later. After a few sessions, you won’t feel dizzy anymore. Try not to tense your face muscles as you do the exercise, just comfortably rotate your eyes.

Eyercise – Near to Far
Eyercise - Focus at different distances	1. Keep your head still 2. Hold your thumb 6-8 inches in front of your nose 3. Look at your thumb nail then look at something far away across the room. Do it 10 times. Alternative exercise: 1. Pick 5 objects at different distances 2. Look at the nearest object, and work your way back to the farthest object. Do it 10 times.
Notes and Tips: It’s OK if the object looks blurry, we are doing a physical exercise

Eyercise – Tracing Patterns
Eyercise - Tile walls are good for tracing	Eyercise - Possible pattern to trace
1. You can use anything in the room or within view. 2. Without moving your head, trace the lines, shapes, or patterns that you see. Remember to trace to the edges of your vision.
Notes and Tips: Have fun tracing, and randomly trace in any direction and order. The idea is to move the eyes.

Eye Focusing Exercise

Eyercise – Fusion Download and print this fusion chart. It is a chart with columns of words and dots of varying sizes. The objective is to train our eyes to focus better.
Eyercise - fuse two dot to make a third	Converge 1. Hold the chart 12 inches in front of you. We will start with the two dots about one third down the page. 2. Hold your thumb half way between your eyes and the chart. The thumb nail should be slightly under the two dot in the page so that you can see the dots unobstructed. 3. Focus on the thumb. 4. While still focusing on the thumb, notice the dot in the back; it should changed into three or four dots. 5. If you see four, move the thumb slightly forward or backward until you see three dots. 6. Try removing the thumb while maintaining the three dots. 7. Move the chart around will maintaining the three dots. Diverge 1. Touch the chart to your nose with the dot in front of each eye. You should see one dot. We are using the two dots about one third down the page. 2. Slowly move the chart backwards. You should see three dots. 3. Maintain the three dots as you slowly move the paper 12 inches away from you. can you see the difference between converging and diverging?
Notes and Tips: Some people may get dizzy doing this exercise. You may not need to practice this exercise if you have perfect vision.

Massages

Eyercise – Massages
Eyercise - Massage eyes to improve circulation	Eyercise - Use thumb and first knuckle to massage 1. Use your middle finger and thumb. Press lightly and release the edge of the eyes closest to the nose (the point is shown with a red dot in the picture). Do it 10 times. 2. Use your index finger and thumb for this massage. Curl the index finger and use the first knuckle to massage. The thumb is placed on the side of the face for support. 3. Massage the top of the eye brows starting at the center and moving outwards. Do it 5 times 4. Massage under the eye, along the bony eye socket starting at the center and moving outwards. Do it 5 times 5. Massage downward along the nose and around the check bone. Do it 5 times
Notes and Tips: When massaging under the eyes, press along the bony socket of the eye, don’t press on the eyes.

Eyercise – Palming
Eyercise - Palm the eyes to relax them	1. Rub your hands together until it’s hot. 2. Cup your hands, and place the palms over your closed eyes with the fingers crossing over the forehead. 3. Take deep breaths, feel the warmth of the hands, and clear your mind. 4. Keep in this position as long as you can.
Notes and Tips: Sit on a pillow on the floor and place your arm on a coffee table for support If you have to think, think of happy thoughts

Starting to do the eye exercises is easy, especially when we are excited to see the results. Enthusiasm, however, does not last. I managed to do the eye exercises for about three weeks before getting distracted by something else.

I was inspired one day as I walked away from my car. After ten steps from the car, I stopped and asked myself, “did I lock the car?” I walked back to check and I had locked it without realizing. This habit was so ingrained in my mind that I didn’t need to think about doing it. I had an Aha! moment. I need to transform the exercise into a habit. When it’s a part of my daily routine, I don’t need to allocate time to do the exercise and more importantly, I will do the exercise without having to think about it.

What did I do?

I started doing the eye exercises when I was waiting for something or wasting time. I did the exercise:

• as I was on the toilet
• as I stopped at a traffic light
• as I was working
• as I was reading
• as I was watching TV

by making the exercise a part of my daily routines, it became a habit. I’m always doing the exercises so I didn’t worry about finding time to do it. This helps me to improve my eyesight without it turning into a chore.