Myopia Struggles: Can Natural Remedies Really Improve Eyesight?

Natural Remedies for Myopia

Can anyone tell me how a person can cure myopia naturally?

Regards

Myopia, often referred to as short-sightedness, is a condition where a person may struggle to see objects that are far away. It is a prevalent condition among many individuals.

Symptoms of Myopia

A person with myopia typically experiences difficulty seeing objects at a distance, perceiving them as blurry images.

Myopia usually manifests as blurred vision, particularly with objects that are far away. For example, the blackboard in a school classroom, the screen in a movie theater, or even the TV screen at home may appear blurred. Additionally, the patient's eyes may become watery due to strain, accompanied by feelings of heaviness, itching, and headaches.

Causes of Myopia

Mental strain, improper dietary habits, and issues with nerve and blood supply can contribute to this condition.

The primary causes of myopia include improper food habits, mental strain, and strain on the eye muscles and nerves. Mental strain exerts pressure on the eye's muscles and nerves.

Reading in dim or excessively bright light can also lead to this eye disorder. Other contributing factors include reading in a moving vehicle, spending prolonged periods in front of a television, and straining the eyes through extended reading sessions.

Home Remedies for Myopia

*Vitamin A*

A crucial remedy for eye issues is the consumption of Vitamin A, which plays a vital role in enhancing eye vision. Foods rich in Vitamin A include butter, milk cream, raw spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, soya beans, dates, green peas, and turnip tops. The recommended daily intake of Vitamin A is 25,000 IU, making it an effective home remedy for myopia.

*Triphala*

The Ayurvedic preparation Triphala, consisting of belleric myrobalan (bahera), embelica myrobalan (amla), and chebulic myrobalan (harad), is beneficial for individuals with myopia. Decoctions made from Triphala, when ingested or used for eye wash twice daily, are believed to yield positive results over several months, serving as a natural remedy for myopia.

*Liquorice*

Liquorice is another effective remedy for treating myopia. A combination of liquorice root powder, honey, and ghee administered with milk twice daily on an empty stomach can be highly beneficial for myopia treatment.

*Chicory*

Chicory, also known as endive, is a valuable herb for addressing myopia. It contains essential elements for the optic system and is rich in Vitamin A. Combining celery, parsley, and carrot juices with chicory juice creates an ideal blend for nourishing the optic and muscular systems, showing significant improvements in correcting eye defects over time.

Diet for Myopia

A diet rich in raw foods, such as fruits (oranges, grapes, apples, peaches, cherries, plums), green vegetables (cabbage, lettuce, turnip tops, spinach), root vegetables (carrot, potatoes, turnips, beetroots, onions), dairy products, nuts, and dried fruits, is recommended for individuals with myopia. Cereals should be consumed moderately, with whole meal bread being the most suitable choice.

It is advised to avoid tea, jams, coffee, eggs, meat, pastries, cakes, white bread, confectionery, white sugar, fish, and other foods that may disrupt the digestion process, as they can exacerbate myopia symptoms. This dietary adjustment can contribute to successful management of myopia.

Dear Tanmoy,

Please go through this write-up carefully. It will not only help you but also others suffering from myopia. There are many myths about homemade remedies and their effects on our eyes, and very few of those myths are medically proven correct.

Let us understand vision.

Our eyes have the cornea, the outer transparent portion capable of providing a maximum visual power of roughly +40 diopters. Just behind the cornea lies the iris, acting as a camera shutter, regulating the amount of light entering the eyeball. Behind the iris lies the lens, a soft crystalline lens contributing roughly +20 diopters of power. The last structure aiding vision is the retina, receiving images and transmitting them to the brain through the optic nerve.

There are two kinds of vision: Distant Vision (DV) and Near Vision (NV).

Hypermetropia (farsightedness) or Myopia (nearsightedness) are part of distance vision. Near Vision is necessary only for reading at a distance of 30 cm or a little more.

In Myopia or shortsightedness, a person may struggle to read the blackboard properly and might find it more comfortable sitting on the front benches. Myopia occurs when there is excessive power in the eye, necessitating the use of minus power glasses to correct it.

The power in the eye can be elevated due to various reasons:

1. The total diameter or axial length of the eyeball is greater, causing the image of an object to fall before the retina.
2. The cornea has less power, known as a steeper cornea, exerting more converging power and forming the image before the retina.

Difficulty in distance vision can also affect near vision. A person with correct distance vision requires no extra power for reading but may need it after the age of 35 or older.

For reading, the eyes need more power, and in youth, the eye lens can adjust this power automatically, similar to autofocusing, eliminating the need for additional power. However, as age advances, the ability of the lens to adjust weakens, requiring reading glasses after the age of 35 or older; this condition is known as presbyopia.

A person with +2 D power of myopia generally reads without glasses at the age of 50.

Severe myopia can sometimes lead to retinal detachment; thus, children with high myopia should undergo regular eye check-ups for any abnormal increase in power.

Myopic individuals are usually comfortable reading or working on a computer but may experience headaches in a classroom or while watching TV.

Eye relaxation exercises are beneficial. They can be performed by looking at a distant object for 20 seconds, then a near object for 20 seconds, and walking 20 steps. This process can be repeated 4-5 times.

Remember to give your eyes a periodic break from the computer screen for a few minutes.

A diet rich in vitamin A will not reduce the number of prescribed glasses but can help prevent an increase.

Foods rich in Vitamin A include milk, butter, carrots, cabbage, and other green vegetables. Consume green vegetables and butter, following an exercise regimen.

While working on the computer, relax your eyes by closing them and placing both hands over your eyelids after rubbing them.

Triphala, an Ayurvedic prescription containing Amla, Harad, and Bahera, can be beneficial. Triphala powder is widely available in most medicine shops. Soak a teaspoon of Triphala powder in a glass of water overnight, strain the water in the morning, and wash your eyes with it. Triphala can also be consumed orally.

Note: These therapies cannot guarantee a reversal of power but can slow the increase. Regular eye checks are essential for those wearing glasses over -3.0 D from an early age, as this could be due to a steeper cornea or greater axial length of the eye, leading to a potential increase in power up to the age of 20-25 years. Vitamin A supplements are available over the counter and should be taken if advised by Ophthalmologists.

I hope this information is helpful to you.

Ravi Singh
Healthcare Trainer
HealthFirst Medicorp
Pune
7620958102

Please find an attachment to this write-up. I have explained the refractive errors through pictures. It should be read as an adjunct to my previous write-up about myopia. Be assured that a high degree of myopia can only be treated by surgeries or glasses.

I hope it will help you.

Ravi Singh
Healthcare Trainer
HealthFirst Medicorp
Pune
7620958102